During these times of uncertainty with the progression of the unfortunate COVID-19 outbreak, we at Paul John Resorts & Hotels assure you that your safety and comfort remain our highest and greatest priority during your safe travel to India.
Current evidence reveals that COVID-19 virus is transmitted from one person to another through respiratory droplets (particularly when coughing). Direct contact with an infected person or indirect contact i.e. touching a surface or object that is contaminated with respiratory secretions and then touching own mouth, nose, or eyes are believed to be routes of transmission. Although most infected individuals develop only mild symptoms, severe ailments may result in older people and/or people with other medical conditions, and they may require rapid medical assistance and hospitalization.
Prevention measures during your safe travel include regular and thorough hand hygiene, social distancing, avoiding touching of eyes, nose, and mouth, and good respiratory hygiene. Especially in public areas, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces can help reduce the risk of infection.
Hospitality establishments are no more susceptible to contagion than other public institutions visited by people who interact among themselves and with employees. Nevertheless, they are places where guests stay temporarily in close cohabitation and with a higher degree of interaction especially among guests and hotel associates.
These particular aspects—the lodging for guests along with the services this entails (food and beverages, spa, housekeeping, transportation, recreational activities etc.) - and the interactions of guest-guest, guest-staff, and staff-staff require specific and detailed attention.
Every staff member at the hotel will strictly comply with the basic protective measures against COVID-19 recommended by WHO, such as hand hygiene, physical distancing, avoidance of touching eyes, nose and mouth, the practice of respiratory hygiene and to heed the advice to stay home and seek medical attention if they have symptoms consistent with the disease.
We look forward to welcoming all guests to our hotels with the same warmth and hospitality as always during your Covid vacation. While the COVID-19 outbreak is precipitously changing and fluid, we assure you that we are committed to keeping you informed and to caring for you as a valued guest during your safe travel.
We have therefore built upon the already high standards of housekeeping and hygiene at our resorts & hotels, where hospital-grade cleaning products and upgraded protocols are currently in use. We hope to provide you with assurance and peace of mind when you stay with us and create a focus on cleanliness that will be visible and can be experienced throughout your entire stay – in the guest rooms, restaurants, fitness rooms, and other guest and public spaces.
Each of our hotels has a Safety Team with a Team Leader to ensure that all measures are being implemented and recorded. Detailed workshops for all associates are conducted on a regular basis. There is a documented plan to handle any crisis and SOP’s are in place in case of quarantine or isolation of any of our guests or associates.
If a guest or staff develops symptoms of acute respiratory infection, efforts will immediately be made to minimize contact of the concerned person with all guests and staff on the premises. Reception or other hotel staff will follow the procedures in the action plan for the situation when a guest develops signs and symptoms indicative of COVID-19.
The concerned person will be separated from other persons by at least 2m(6ft).
If the situation requires the concerned person will be transferred to a medical establishment and Management shall consider relevant measures that the said person is taken care of in an adequate way.
The ill person is to wear a medical mask and practice respiratory hygiene when coughing and sneezing. If the medical mask cannot be tolerated by the said person, tissues to cover the mouth will be provided and must be discarded immediately after use into a biohazard disposal waste bag. If no biohazard disposal waste bag is available, place it in an intact plastic bag, seal it, and consider it “biohazard” waste; wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand rub.
When attending to an unwell guest or staff coming from an affected area and who displays fever, persistent cough, or difficulty breathing, always use additional protective equipment, including mask, eye protection, gloves, and a gown.
Remove PPE carefully to avoid contaminating yourself. Remove first gloves and gown, perform hand hygiene; then remove the mask and eye protection, and immediately wash hands once again with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand rub.
Properly dispose of gloves and other disposable items that had contact with the unwell person’s body fluids in a biohazard bag or a secured plastic bag, which will be considered as “biohazard” waste.
If the person affected is a guest, continued stay of the unwell person in the establishment is not recommended.
The person can be isolated in a room on a temporary basis until the intervention of local health authorities, and provided the room is not shared with other guests.
No visitors will be permitted to enter the room occupied by the affected guest.
Depending on the availability of rooms, accompanying persons, if any, should be moved to a different room.
In order to minimize the risk of contaminating other guests or members of the staff, symptomatic guests should leave the hotel according to instructions from the Management of the establishment and local health authority. Symptomatic guests will be assessed for their condition and, if they fulfil the definition of a suspected case, they will be transferred to a designated health care facility.
Management of the possible contacts of the sick guest will take place in accordance with instructions from the local public health authority. The local health authority should rapidly update the regional or national health authority on the outcome of examinations and if further actions must be taken.
Staff involved in the transportation of the suspected case should apply infection prevention and control practices according to WHO guidance. They should routinely perform hand hygiene and wear a medical mask, eye protection, gloves, and gown when loading suspected COVID-19 patients for transport in the ambulance. They should ensure that they clean their hands before putting on PPE and after removing it.
The driver of the ambulance should stay separated from the cases. No protection is required if a tight physical separation exists between the driver and the suspected case. If possible, the driver should not be involved in loading the patient into the ambulance. If assisting with the loading of the suspected COVID-19 patient the driver should wear PPE, including a mask, gloves, gown, and eye protection.
Guest transport vehicles are cleaned and disinfected with special attention to the areas in contact with the suspected case. Cleaning is done with regular household disinfectant solution containing 0.5% sodium hypochlorite (i.e. equivalent 5.000 pm chlorine or 1 part of household bleach containing 5% of sodium hypochlorite to 99 parts of water). After the bleach has been allowed to remain in contact with the surface for at least 1 minute, it may be rinsed off with clean water.
The hotel will provide access to services for cleaning and disinfection of the room occupied by the unwell person in accordance with action plan, following the cleaning and disinfection protocols for rooms occupied by the unwell person and observing personal protective measures.
If a member of the staff reports respiratory symptoms, the associate is to immediately stop work and seek medical assistance. The staff member will stay isolated in a suitable room while the medical services are being notified.
The symptomatic associate will be provided with disposable tissues and a mask that should be worn when other persons are present or when having to go out to common areas.
Associates who report from home that they are ill with respiratory symptoms are advised to stay at home and seek medical attention.
Associates who report from home that they have been diagnosed with COVID-19 will follow the instructions received from the doctor, including the recommendation of self-isolation at home until the symptoms have completely disappeared (Note: For a COVID-19 patient to go through a mild form of the disease and fully recover takes about one month).
Identification of contacts begin immediately after a suspected case has been identified in the establishment.
WHO defines a contact as a person who experienced any one of the following exposures during the 2 days before and the 14 days after the onset of symptoms of a probable or confirmed case:
In the context of a hotel, a contact could be considered as:
If the severity of the symptoms or numerous movements of the case(s) indicate more extensive exposure in the establishment, a more thorough assessment will be done together with the local health authorities.
WHO recommends that all contacts of COVID-19 patients be quarantined for 14 days from the last time they were exposed to the patient. If a contact develops symptoms, the contact should wear a medical mask, considered as suspect case, and treated as such.
Other guest and staff who do not meet the definition of a contact may be considered as having low-risk exposure and may be advised to implement precautionary measures. These precautionary measures can be modified and adapted to the risk assessments conducted by the public health authorities.
Non-affected guests are persons considered to have had a low-risk exposure. The guest will be required to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, cough, or difficulty breathing for 14 days from the date of departure of the confirmed case from the premises. Should they develop symptoms indicative of COVID-19 within 14 days, they should immediately self-isolate and contact local health services.
Social distancing measures, hand cleaning, and respiratory hygiene
Social distancing measures, together with frequent hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, are the main measures to prevent transmission of COVID-19.
a, Taking pride in our Indianness!!, Guests will be greeted with folded hands in Namaste, which also helps maintain and ensure Social Distance.