SIBU, May 12: Hotels here serving as quarantine centre for Covid-19 person-under-surveillance (PUS) are not just doing it for a good cause as it also helps them to survive the current difficult economic situation.
Their occupancy rates usually average around 60 to 70 per cent.
Last year, the majority of hotel owners here turned down the option for their premises to be used as quarantine centres.
Sarawak Central Region Hotel Association vice-chairman, Lang Jai Lee said some budget hotels with few rooms, are even enjoying an occupancy rate of up to 90 per cent, now.
Lang noted that each PUS will be staying at the hotel for at least 10 days with the longest being two weeks.
“The government is paying for all the rooms and food for persons-under-quarantine including the cost of sanitising the rooms and the hotel surroundings,” he said.
Lang also corrected the misconception that once a hotel is used as a Covid-19 quarantine centre, chances of people staying there contracting the virus was high.
“After PUS checks out from the room, the authority will come to sanitise it, followed by general cleaning. This thorough sanitising and cleaning leaves the room free from the virus,” he said.
Lang who is a general manager of a hotel here said hotels’ food and catering departments are suffering during this difficult period.
“As we are only allowed to offer takeaway service, we are only recording an average of between two to three per cent of business,” he said.
The poor business is because the public is distancing themselves from hotels being used as quarantine centres. — DayakDaily
