Muscat: The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has announced guidelines to limit the spread of Covid-19, including prevention measures for classified hotels and restaurants, cafes, and their employees.
The main entrance:
• Limit and control the number of entrances.
• Provide signs containing instructions and illustrations on COVID-19 prevention in the hotel.
• Place directional signs at the main entrance on the sides of the guests' path, before the check-in procedures.
• Provide facemasks at the main entrance, which are necessary for everyone to wear im-mediately upon entry to the hotel.
• Provide hand sanitizers in a visible place near the main entrance, so they can be constantly available for use when entering and before leaving the hotel.
• Provide a (digital) thermometer to test the temperature of all employees and guests before entering the hotel.
• Sterilize the baggage of guests when checking in and out of the hotel.
• Sterilize the baggage car before and after use.
• Allow resuming the parking service, with taking the following measures: — Employees must wear facemasks and gloves, and change it following every single parking, keep the vehicle's air conditioning on while maintaining the doors open for some time to ensure the vehicle is ventilated before handing-over to the guest. — Use single-vehicle seat covers. — Use disinfectant wipes to clean the steering wheel, transmission, and any surfaces contacted in the vehicle.
•Train employees in the hotel's main entrance area on COVID-19 prevention measures to maintain the safety of visitors and the hotel entry.
The reception area
• Provide hand sanitizers in the reception area, public corridors, and in front of elevators for staff and guests.
• Sterilize point of sale terminals following every use.
• Remove all devices and common items in the reception area as public phones and post-ers of all kinds.
• Clean the reception table with sterile materials after completing each guest's procedures.
• Place a glass or plastic screen separating employees from guests at the reception desk to reduce direct contact, or to keep a minimum distance of (two meters) between the receptionist and the guest.
• Place floor signs around the waiting places of the guests to complete the procedures for receiving and delivering the rooms, provided that they are no less than two meters between each sign, or complete the procedures in the guest's room directly.
• Re-arrange the reception seats so that no less than two meters is allowed between the seats.
• Reduce the allowed number of guests in the elevator, so that it is limited to 4 people for wide elevators (in case of being from one family only) and 2 people for narrow elevators, with placing floor signs for the designated parking spaces of the elevators, and covering the buttons with plastic or insulating material that is constantly replaced with cleaning the elevator with sterile materials continuously.
• Training employees in the reception area on COVID-19 prevention measures to maintain the safety of visitors and the hotel entry.
• Employees must wear masks or transparent face protective masks throughout the course of work.
• Educate and urge employees on the importance of prompt reporting to the line official when any respiratory symptoms or high body temperature appear, whether for them or for one of their colleagues, regardless of the severity of the symptoms.
• In the event that a person is suspected of having COVID-19 in the hotel, immediate measures must be taken, and giving them a medical mask and referring to the nearest health care institution for examination and treatment.
Rooms and toilets
• Remove all posters and paper marketing materials from rooms.
• The rooms must be out-of-order after the departure of the guest for a sufficient period (at least 24 hours) to be treated, sterilized, and reviewed by the hotel's security and safety officials.
• Reduce room items and package to the most important ones (e.g. Pens and remote controls) and renew packaging after each guest.
• Reduce sanitary materials of the toilet according to the number of guests, provided that all materials are destroyed after the departure of each guest.
Restaurants and cafes
• Buffets are permitted while adhering to the prevention measures.
• Conduct temperature checks on diners. • Ensure spacing between dining tables and chairs in accordance with the standards issued by the competent authorities.
• Adopt the advice and instructions issued by international companies specialized in sterilization methods and chemicals necessary to ensure safety in hotel rooms, public spaces, and restaurants.
• Restaurant workers observance of wearing gloves, changing them from time to time, and keeping handwashing with soap and water.
• Digital payment at the customer's table is preferable to reduce crowding at the cashier area.
• Control the number of diners by allowing advance reservations to avoid crowds.
• Importance of sterilizing, cleaning, and ventilating the kitchen on a daily basis.
• Compliance with all health instructions issued by the competent municipalities regarding the operation of restaurant kitchens.
• Obey international food safety and quality standards such as (HACCP).
• Abide fully by all hygiene standards, wear gloves and masks on a sustainable basis, change them from time to time and keep handwashing with soap and water.
Housekeeping services
• Housekeeping Services employees should be trained on COVID-19 prevention measures.
• Inform all companies that provide out-sourcing services to the hotel (out-sourcing services) that they must obtain medical certificates proving that they are free of COVID-19, and that these workers should not be replaced or transferred from a hotel to another.
• Only one employee shall be permitted simultaneously to perform housekeeping for each hotel room. • Guests shall not be permitted in the room during the housekeeping service.
• Antibacterial chemicals should be used to cleanroom stuff.
• Floor cleaning items (dusters/mop) should be re-sterilized after use in each room.
• Importance of providing disposable laundry bags that can be disposed of. • Workers must wear single-use plastic aprons and waterproof shoes while clean-ing.
• Wear masks and gloves on an ongoing basis while continuing to conduct rapid test-ing of workers.
• Focus on cleaning frequently used surfaces of all facilities (door handles, etc.).
• Ensure the sustainability of sterilization of received and delivered goods through the loading and unloading area, with special procedures for receiving external orders (such as food or packages), and it is preferable for the delivery person not to access the rooms.
• Consider the possibility of providing housing in the hotel or belonging to the same for the employees of the outsourcing services companies to ensure that it does not intermix with other people in their current housing.
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