• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Hoteliers still skeptical on reopening as regulation, safety concerns mount

Hoteliers still skeptical on reopening as regulation, safety concerns mount

Despite the easing of the lockdown and lifting of restriction on the operation of hotels and restaurants within hotels, by the federal government on June 1, 2020, most hotels, especially in Lagos and Abuja are still shutdown.
Many hoteliers in Abuja are held back because the safety protocol on reopening their hotels are not clear yet, while they still expect palliatives from government to enable them bounce back
to business.
In Lagos, reopening is not feasible now as hoteliers have been calling on the Lagos State Government to work out palliatives for operators that would help cushion the impact of the lockdown on their business.
Before reopening, Hotel Owners and Managers Association of Lagos (HOMAL) and other tourism and hospitality associations in Lagos are insisting that the hospitality sector deserves special interventions following the lockdown that kept all hotels and tourism outfits under lock and key.

Speaking at a recent briefing in Lagos, Samuel Alabi, chairman, HOMAL, decried that since March the hospitality sector has been shutdown in compliance with government directives with huge
losses, wears and tires that are big constrains to reopening.
Aside no palliatives yet from government, Lagos hoteliers are frowning at government’s proposed ‘Register to Reopen’ policy, noting that it would amount to subjecting hoteliers to rigorous and cost-laden reopening exercise.
Instead of the registration, Lagos hoteliers advised government to release a unified safety and health protocol to guide their operations.

Read also: Covid-19: WHO stops hydroxychloroquine trials 

Speaking on the registration issue, Alabi said, “We propose that government should release reopening protocols as done for manufacturing, retail shops, banks and other sectors that were allowed even under the relaxed restriction regime for compliance by our members. Going by the large numbers of hotels in Lagos, many of our members feared that it will not come to their turn weeks after being granted permission to reopen their business”.

However, it seems the Lagos State government is insisting on the register to reopen policy.
Explaining the rationale for the registration, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lagos State, said,
“I want to use this medium to call on owners of hotels and entertainment businesses to regularise their facilities with the government for proper planning, documentation and provision of palliatives.”

Speaking at a recent ministerial briefing, the commissioner said that the state government is not in hurry to reopen the hospitality sector, as well as, entertainment businesses going by the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

In order to restart the state’s economy and most importantly, protect the citizens at all times, the commissioner said, “We have issued guidelines to operators of hotels and restaurants and some other tourism establishments.

“Facilities that were seen not to have complied with these new directives were sealed off during enforcement exercise by officials of the Ministry.

“Now that the state government is considering full opening of the state’s economy, additional, detailed and extensive guidelines would still be given by the government once plans are concluded to open the sector for full operations”.
In line with the commissioner, Bode Ademola, a hotel regulator, noted that, “Businesses must not exist to the detriment of the lives of the people. But if there are modalities that can make you operate at no risk to the populace, then hoteliers should be ready to adopt such modalities or strategies”.

Hoteliers are now waiting for the extensive guidelines to reopen as the palliatives may not get to them. But small hotels are opening to guests, while the big brands are still shutdown, waiting for the extensive guidelines.