JAMAICA’S tourism ministry, working in tandem with industry stakeholders, has crafted a deep and comprehensive plan covering 111 pages to keep visitors and Jamaicans alike safe from COVID-19.

Following is the second in a series of excerpts from the document titled ‘Resilience: COVID-19 Ministry of Tourism health and safety protocols for the tourism industry 2020’ dealing with what hotels must do, starting with those with more than 100 rooms:

COVID-19 Safety Point Person (SPP): A minimum of one employee at any time during the opening hours of the venue must be a specifically trained and designated COVID-19 Safety Point Person. The SPP should conduct regular spot checks throughout the property and observe protocols being enacted. The SPP should also serve as a point of contact for employee and guest complaints, and is required to document, investigate, and triage complaints.

Depending on the size of the location, the COVID-19 SPP can be a full-time position or the duties may be allocated to an existing employee such as a director, manager or supervisor.

Health and Safety Risk Committee (for hotels in excess of 100 guest rooms): A committee with a minimum of five members (and an additional member for every 100 rooms over the threshold) should be organised to oversee the various protocol areas in the large hotel property. Each member will be tasked with overseeing a protocol area (eg room management, bars and dining, entertainment etc) and will gather information from employees to present to the committee for review and discussion. In addition, this committee should:

• Establish mechanisms to gather the information for data-driven decision-making, in consultation with the relevant authorities;

• Carry out an evaluation of those measures and draw conclusions;

• Design the necessary protection measures, included in a contingency plan;

• Ensure that workers receive adequate information and training for the implementation of the contingency plan;

• Implement the contingency plan if required, based on the size and complexity of the business, and supervise its compliance, assessing its effectiveness;

• Modify the contingency plan if necessary, based on the demonstrated effectiveness.

Supplies

1. No-contact hand-held thermometers (minimum of four — two per entrance and two for staff); and/or full body thermal scan — one per entrance

2. Face masks (enough for each staff member for each shift to have at least one)

3. Alcohol-based hand sanitiser (62 per cent alcohol or above)

4. Medical-grade personal protective equipment (PPE – N95 face masks, face shields)

5. Spray disinfectant/wipes

6. Single-use paper napkins or towels

7. Soap dispensers and/or hand-sanitising stations

8. Cleaning agents (including those with 62 per cent alcohol or above)

9. Hands-free garbage cans with covers

10. Measuring device (tape measure, yardstick, 6 ft pole, etc)

11. Indicators (flags, markers, stakes, cones, etc)

12. Back of the house and front of the house signage for protocols, awareness regarding symptoms, and Ministry of Health and Wellness contact information

13. Tape/stickers

Note: Supplies are to be provided by the organisation. Employees should be provided with the necessary protective equipment to safely conduct their duties. If an employee is not provided with equipment per these protocols, violations can be reported to TPDCo.