People walk past the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore.
SINGAPORE: Hotels in Singapore may now apply to reopen for staycation bookings, as Singapore resumes more activities under Phase 2 of its post-“circuit breaker” reopening.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) announced this in an advisory on Friday (Jul 3), saying that hotels will have to comply with various safe management measures to do so.
Hotels may also apply to reopen recreation areas for children, it added.
The resumption of these two services also applies to hotels being used as stay-home notice, quarantine and isolation facilities, says STB, although they will be subject to even more stringent measures.
The safe management measures that each hotel will have to adhere to include limiting occupancy to no more than 1 person per 10 sqm in public spaces accessible to guests, excluding hotel staff, at any point in time.
Hotels will also have to screen every individual before allowing them into the building, require everyone to wear a mask within the hotel unless they are in their own rooms or eating or engaging in strenuous exercise, stagger check-in and check-out timings, and keep the records of guests for at least 28 days after they check out.
No more than five guests will be allowed in each room.
Hotels will also need to implement the SafeEntry system and implement rigorous cleaning and disinfecting regimes.
Hotels must submit to an inspection by STB as part of the assessment process. Each application may take up to 14 days to be assessed.
If approved, hotels will also have to submit a set of data every week.
Hotels that are used as stay-home notice, quarantine and isolation facilities will face stricter requirements, including housing individuals who are there because of COVID-19 on a dedicated floor or block away from other guests and displaying notices prominently that the hotel is providing COVID-19-related accommodation.
Many hotels were hit hard when Singapore implemented circuit breaker restrictions on Apr 7.
They were able to resume most activities, with safe management measures in place, when Phase 2 started on Jun 19, including dine-in services, gyms and pools and marriage solemnisations.
On Friday, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) also announced that cinemas will be allowed to reopen for up to 50 patrons in each cinema hall starting Jul 13.
