Ministry of Tourism has urged resorts to strengthen compliance to the guidelines which were set for reopening of resorts, in order to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases being reported from resorts.
Speaking at a press conference, Senior Executive Director at the Ministry of Tourism Ali Razzan said most of the cases currently being reported from resorts are among staff members. He noted the number of COVID-19 cases in resorts had been maintained at a low-level last year as the guidelines were strictly followed in resuming resort operations. However, he said the cases began to rise after the level of compliance to guidelines began to drop.
Razzan called on resorts to follow the standard quarantine procedure for all resort staff returning from abroad or other islands. He said ensuring staff compliance to guidelines will ensure a decrease in number of cases, as there is no evidence yet to suggest that cases are being imported through tourists arriving in resorts.
Ministry of Tourism began permitting resorts to resume operations following the reopening of borders on July 15 last year. Resorts are permitted to resume operations after submitting a Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) in line with the guidelines set by the tourism ministry and Health Protection Agency (HPA).