Some Hotel Operators in Accra, say they are feeling the heat of the Coronavirus out break in the country, resulting in a lay off of some categories of staff. The Operators say they have been making huge losses forcing them to take such drastic measures.
Speaking to Radio Ghana, some of the operators, described their business and other businesses in the hospitality industry to be the hardest hit in the outbreak. This came up when Radio Ghana visited some hotels in the capital to know the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on the hotel industry.
The first place visited was the Swiss Spirit Hotel, at Ridge in Accra. At the entrance I was asked to first sanitize my hands and then my temperature taken. When the temperature read 35 degrees Celsius I was allowed entry into the facility. The procedure according to the Officer in charge, Francis Asoa is a normal routine for all visitors to the facility.
The Rooms Division Manager, Yvonne Izzo, indicated the hotel has rolled out its emergency plans in a bid to contain the spread. Madam Izzo, noted the impact of the pandemic on business has been very severe, adding that casual workers have been asked to stay at home since there is not much to be done.
The story was not so different at the Coconut Groove Regency Hotel, as hand sanitizers had been displayed on all entrance. Some staff were also spotted in nose masks as well as hand gloves. The General Manager, Ralph Ayitey, said its emergency plans was last week reinforced following the confirmed cases of the virus in the country.
He said hotel occupancy which used to be around 70% had dropped to 2% emphasizing it was a real bad time for Hotel Operators. He said the hotel relies on local producers and would definitely have trickle down effects on unemployment.
He assured the public that all safety precautions are being pursued and encouraged people to patronize services of the hotel industry to avert a possible collapse.
