KATHMANDU: The government is set to form mechanism to monitor the health protocol imposed in hotels and restaurants in the service operation prepared by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).
The government has already decided to operate hotels and restaurants from July 30.
The NTB has prepared the protocol in the first week of June and sent it to all the stakeholders. A training and orientation program has also been conducted in June.
As soon as the service comes into operation from July 30, there will be a central level monitoring committee on the implementation of the protocol in the Kathmandu Valley.
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai has directed the Department of Tourism and NTB to set up a mechanism to monitor the implementation of health protocols.
He has instructed to set up a monitoring mechanism under the leadership of the state ministry at the state level.
The ministry aims to hold a group discussion on health and safety precautions by July 25. After that, the Department of Tourism and the NTB will set up a monitoring mechanism in the Kathmandu Valley and initiate the monitoring.
What are the rules for a hotel?
According to the health protocol, once the guest left the room, the room has to be left empty for at least 24 hours, before other guest uses that room.
All hotels are required to keep the travel details of the guests. Social distance rules must be followed. Online payments should be preferred. Rules have been made to implement the ‘Namaste’ greetings.
The hotels should arrange sanitizer tunnels as far as possible. The hotel should set aside some rooms for emergency use. The guest showing symptoms of COVID-19 should be immediately moved to the room and prevented from coming in contact with others.
The hotels should then arrange for the guests or staff to be taken to a health facility designated by the government. Use of health protection materials such as masks, gloves, PPE and clothing should be mandatory.
Currently, the government has prohibited gatherings, parties, conferences and seminars at the hotel. Gym, spa and playrooms will not come into operation immediately. No more than 25 people can be accommodated in the hotel hall.
Hotels should pay as much attention to the consumption of indigenous products as possible.
Meanwhile, the board has already made rules and distributed for restaurants to maintain social distance, the mandatory use of masks.
Provision has been made for the employees working in the restaurant to wash their hands with soap and water every 20 minutes or once after lifting the plate.
Arrangements should be made to wash hands with the customer. Restaurants also have to provide online payment facility.
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