City Lodge Hotel Group to educate guests on coronavirus safety
With the tourism sector being vital to South Africa's economy, it was important that hotels came on board by educating their staff about the virus, Sangweni-Siddo said.
A passenger rubs his face on a bus near Nashville, April 9, 2019. ItÕs a quirk of human nature that we touch our eyes, noses and mouths all day long. ItÕs also a major way we pick up infections like coronavirus. (Todd Heisler/The New York Times) FOR USE ONLY WITH WELL STORY BC-WELL-FACE-TOUCHING-VIRUS-ART-NYTSF BY TARA PARKER-POPE.
The City Lodge Hotel Group has launched its own coronavirus protocol to educate staff and guests on how to stay safe.
It is all hands on deck at City Lodge after South Africa’s first Covid-19 case was confirmed in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday afternoon. A second case was confirmed on Saturday in Gauteng.
The educational component designed to inform and empower staff includes details on what the virus is, where the disease outbreak began, ways in which it is transmitted, symptoms to look out for, who to call in the event there is detection of a possible Covid-19 case as well as daily measures to prevent the contamination and spread of the virus in personal, operational and guests spaces.
The easy-to-understand guide ensures that the message is quickly and easily understood.
“South Africa only has one reported case of the Covid-19 virus at this time, and our ports of entry are well monitored,” the group’s chief operations officer, Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, said.
Protocol
“If we all act responsibly and follow the recommended protocol, we can minimise the risk,” she added.
With the tourism sector being vital to South Africa’s economy, it was important that hotels came on board by educating their staff about the virus, Sangweni-Siddo said.
The Western Cape health department confirmed it was ready to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and treat any cases if necessary.
It has established a dedicated website so that residents can obtain official, verified information on the virus.
Speaking at a briefing session on Thursday, Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy said: “While Cape Town has no confirmed cases of Covid-19 currently, we are preparing a toolkit for the local tourism industry which may have questions.”
City Lodge is handing out hand sanitisers at all back-of-house areas as well as reception desks, bars, restaurants, club lounges, gyms and boardrooms to be used by guests and staff alike.
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