Lodging facilities prepped for eventual reopening

CITY officials on June 29 met with local lodging providers in preparation for loosening of quarantine measures allowing them to operate, even while the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) threat remains.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the city government is seeking the suggestions, experiences, and the problems of lodging house owners to help them this pandemic.

Lawyer Althea Alberto Magalong’s executive assistant, meanwhile bared Department of Tourism’s (DOT) guidelines for the operation of lodging establishments in areas under national quarantine measures.

It could be remembered, quarantine measures were imposed by Malacañang over local government units based on recommendations of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATFEID).

Alberto said establishments with five rooms or more must secure certificate of authority to operate (CAO) from the DOT.

DOT inspects the lodging facilities ensuring stringent health measures provided in its guidelines are in place.

Meantime, accommodation facilities with less than five rooms are inspected and issued the necessary certificates by the City Tourism Office (CTO) before they are allowed to receive guests.

Guests are welcome in the establishments for work or leisure.

However, Alberto cautioned, the establishments are only allowed to operate at 50% capacity.

In-house services which include canteens, gyms or spas are likewise told to keep the lid at 50%.

Alberto however stressed, those who make use of lodging establishment for leisure purposes must be from the Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, Tublay (BLISTT) area.

Meantime, those who have work in the city or, are on essential travel my likewise avail of accommodation services, provided they have the requisite travel authority issued by the Philippine National Police, she added.

The city is holding similar consultations with the transportation, services and leisure sectors in the past weeks.

Permits and licensing division head Allan Abayao said, even prior to Covid-19 said the city had been conducting regular inspections of various lodging facilities in the city, urging them to better health and sanitation standards.

“Now that we have Covid-19 in our midst, we are asking boarding houses and similar establishments to elevate their health and sanitation standards even more,” he stressed.