The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has devised a set of guidelines to be followed by all hotels after reopening post-lockdown in June
While hotels in Egypt have been gradually opening up for domestic guests since mid-May, and working with a minimum 25% hotel staff; soon they will open at full capacity, albeit with 50% staff.
Before reopening, each hotel will be audited in accordance with the health and safety guidelines from the ministry. Hotels will only be able to reopen when they are granted a health and safety certificate after a thorough inspection by the Egyptian Hotel Association.
Egypt Tourism has developed separate guidelines for different hotel areas.
As well as maintaining social distance of at least 1-2 metres, providing hand sanitiser stations in all public areas, and supplying personal protection equipment to all staff, Egyptian hotels will have to engage in extensive thermal checking and keep a record of people, showing or reporting symptoms similar to that of coronavirus. For now, all social gatherings, such as weddings and parties, are banned within hotels.
All check-ins will be carried out online, and luggage will only be allowed inside the hotel after sterilisation. Guests will go through a thermal check on arrival, and will have a temperature screening every time they return from outside.
Restaurants will do away with buffet and hookah services, and use disposable cutlery; swimming pools will reduce the number of recreational activities; and spas will ban saunas and Jacuzzis.
Diving gear will no longer be shared, and the number of people on boats will be limited. Casinos will operate with 50% capacity, with the use of PPE by staff and guests.
As well as cleaning and disinfecting all exposed surfaces, furniture and fabrics will be disinfected with steam machines.
Older hotel workers or those suffering from chronic diseases will not be employed in work that involves direct contact with guests, and there will be a separate space for quarantining suspected or mild cases. All workers will be required to undergo thermal checking daily and will be provided with a separate housing area.
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