The Maharashtra government on Monday has permitted hotels in the State to re-open from July 8 with certain conditions under the fifth phase of ‘Mission Begin Again’ plan.
The permission has been granted on conditions that such hotels and other accommodation entities will follow social distancing norms and other safety procedures. They will operate at 33 per cent capacity.
According to a Maharashtra Government notification, only those hotels which are outside the containment zones marked by the State government will be allowed to operate with restricted entry. The notification is extended to the entire state.
It added that all entities planning to operate should ensure proper crowd management in the hotel as well as in outside premises like parking lots. Specific markings should be made to manage the queue and seating arrangements are reconfigured in public places to ensure social distancing.
The hotels’ entrance must have mandatory thermal screening provisions and the reception tablespace should have protective glass as preventive measures. They should also display posters on preventive measures about Covid-19 prominently.
Hand sanitizers with pedal-operated dispensers must be made freely available at the reception, guest rooms and public spaces for guests and appropriate personal protective gears like face covers/masks, gloves and should be made available by the hotel to the staff as well as guests.
Digital identification
The State government notification has also directed the hotels to adopt contactless processes such as QR code, online forms and digital payments, which will be used for both check-ins and check-out processes and to restrict the number of guests in the elevator.
The entry is given only to asymptomatic guests and the face mask has to be worn at all times inside the hotel. The details of the guest’s travel history and medical condition along with ID and self-declaration form must be provided at the reception. They must use Arogya Setu App. The guests are also encouraged to minimize the use of housekeeping services.
However, if the concerned hotels are being used for quarantine facilities it will continue to be used so unless decided otherwise by district or municipal administration, the notification said.