Information
for Hotels and Hotel Staff
An outbreak of novel coronavirus
(2019-nCoV) was detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in late December 2019. 
Can I
go to work?
Hotel staff cannot work in hotels if:
- They have left Hubei Province less than 14 days ago
(until 14 days after they left Hubei)
- They have been identified as close contacts of proven
cases of novel coronavirus (until 14 days after last contact with the confirmed
case)
- They have left, or transited through, mainland China on
or after 1 February 2020 (until 14 days after leaving China).
If you develop symptoms (listed below) within
14 days of being anywhere in mainland China or within 14 days of contact with a
confirmed case of novel coronavirus, you should seek urgent medical care. Your
doctor will liaise with Public Health authorities to manage your care. You must
remain isolated in the hotel, your home, or a healthcare setting until Public
Health authorities inform you it is safe for you to return to your usual
activities.
I am
an employer – what should I tell my staff?
Hotel management should provide information and brief
all employees and contract staff, including domestic and cleaning staff, on
relevant information and procedures to prevent the spread of 2019-nCoV to
people in the hotel setting. You should inform staff who meet the above
criteria that they should remain isolated in their home. Workers should advise
their employer if they develop symptoms during the isolation period,
particularly if they have been in the workplace.
What
is this virus?
Coronaviruses can make humans and animals sick. Some
coronaviruses can cause illness similar to the common cold and others can cause
more serious diseases, including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
The virus seen in mainland China is called ‘novel’
because it is new. It has not been detected before this outbreak. Most people
currently infected live in, or have travelled to mainland China. There have
been some cases of 2019-nCoV reported in other countries. It is likely that the
virus originally came from an animal, and there is now evidence that it can
spread from person-to-person.
What
are the symptoms?
Symptoms include (but are not limited to) fever, cough,
sore throat, fatigue and shortness of breath.
How is the virus spread?
The virus is most likely to spread
from person to person through:
- direct
contact with a person whilst they are infectious;
- contact
with droplets when a person with a confirmed infection coughs or sneezes; or
- touching
objects or surfaces (such as doorknobs or tables) that were contaminated by
droplets from secretions coughed or sneezed from a person with a confirmed
infection, and then touching your mouth or face.
For how long can a person spread the
infection to other people?
The length of time that a person is infectious, that
is, can spread the infection to others, is not yet known. However, there has
been emerging evidence of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic infection and
pre-symptomatic transmission in at least one case cluster. It is therefore
likely that a person can spread the infection from before the time they first
develop symptoms until up to one day after symptoms stop.
Therefore, the Ministry of Health and Wellness in
Barbados is currently recommending an isolation period of 14 days for returned
travellers from mainland China, and for contacts of confirmed cases.
Who
is most at risk of a serious illness?
Some people who are infected may not get sick at all,
some will get mild symptoms from which they will recover easily, and others may
become very ill, very quickly.
From previous experience with other coronaviruses, the
people at most risk of serious infection are:
- people
with compromised immune systems;
- elderly
people;
- very
young children and babies;
- people
with diagnosed heart and lung conditions; and
What
if I have already returned to work but should have been isolated?
You should inform your employer as soon as possible
that you have recently travelled to mainland China or had contact with a
confirmed case, and isolate yourself for the remainder of the 14-day period.
If you go on to develop symptoms:
immediately isolate yourself from others in your home;
- call
your usual doctor or local hospital and tell them you may have novel
coronavirus infection; and
- when
you get to the doctor’s clinic or hospital, tell them again that you may have
novel coronavirus infection; and
- as
soon as possible, please call your employer to notify them that you have
developed symptoms and will be tested for the novel coronavirus.
If you have serious symptoms such as
difficulty breathing:
- call 511 and ask for an ambulance;
- tell the ambulance officers that you may have novel
coronavirus infection; and
- as
soon as possible, please call your employer to notify them that you have
developed symptoms and will be tested for the novel coronavirus.
Your doctor will test you for 2019-nCoV and provide
advice on your care. You will also be contacted by Public Health officers who
will provide you with more information and who will coordinate with your
employer as needed.
How
can we help prevent the spread of the virus?
Practising good hand hygiene and
sneeze/cough hygiene is the best defence:
- wash
your hands often with soap and water, or alcohol-based hand gel, before and
after eating as well as after attending the toilet;
- avoid
contact with others; and
- cough
and sneeze into your elbow.
Can
hotel patrons bring in the virus?
The
risk of hotel patrons who may be infected staying in hotel settings is
currently extremely low. It is important that the hotel provides patrons with
information about novel coronavirus to prevent spread upon their arrival to the
hotel.
What if hotel patrons need to
self-isolate?
If
hotel patrons need to self-isolate in a hotel, it is important that staff take
precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. The risk to staff should be low
if they wash their hands well and the patrons do not have symptoms. Staff
should avoid close contact with these guests but it is safe to be in the same
room (at a distance) without protective equipment when delivering food, which
we recommend that the guests have in their room.
Is it
safe to clean?
Cleaning
staff should avoid close contact with guests who have self-isolated. They
should wear gloves while cleaning, and use alcohol hand rub before and after
wearing gloves. As an added precaution, your cleaning staff may wish to wear a
surgical mask while cleaning the room. Before entering the room, cleaning staff
may inquire if people are well, and ask them to put on a surgical mask.
What
if a patron becomes ill?
If
a person who has self-isolated develops symptoms, they should be seen urgently
by a doctor at a hospital and the relevant state or territory Public Health
authority should be contacted. It is important to phone ahead to the hospital
or doctor to get advice. Staff should avoid contact with guests who become
unwell and seek appropriate medical advice if this occurs.