The Rivers State Government has charged hoteliers across the state to be vigilant and not to allow their facilities to be used as hideouts for persons who may have symptoms of the novel Coronavirus, saying it would not compromise the health of her citizens in the course of making money.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, gave the charge during a meeting/training organised by the Rivers State Inter-Ministerial Committee on COVID-19 with the Nigerian Hoteliers Association in Port Harcourt, yesterday; attended by officials of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Nsirim also charged hoteliers and those in the hospitality industry to key into the agenda of the Rivers State Government led by Governor Nyesom Wike, saying they have a critical role to play to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in the state.
He reiterated that the governor has said this is a period of sacrifice even as their businesses are also being affected.
The commissioner further said, “We are in very challenging time. Your businesses will be having some impact. That is why if you listen to all the broadcast made by the Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, he calls this season a time for sacrifice. We will not compromise the health of our people because we want to make money.
“It is a sacrifice that will soon end and our businesses will return to normal. So, it is necessary that all of you who are in the hospitality industry should key into the agenda of the state government. You will see that His Excellency has shown visionary leadership since the outbreak of COVID-19 in terms of prevention strategies.
“We are the first state to close our borders, close all the ports and airports. We are the first to set up an enlightenment committee. We are also the first state to purchase foodstuffs to alleviate the sufferings of the people at this time. So, His Excellency means well, and for us in the state, we only have two cases of Coronavirus because of the prevention strategies that have been put in place here, and of course, with the help of God Almighty.
“So, we are believing that we won’t record more cases. So, controlling the virus is actually everyone’s business. It is our collective business to ensure that everyone is safe. For you in the hospitality industry, don’t allow your hotels to be used as hideouts for people who may have the symptoms.
“So, for every hotel manager here, if somebody comes into your hotel and you notice some of these symptoms, it is your patriotic duty to ensure that you report such things to the Ministry of Health,” he stated, and thanked the state Chairman of Nigeria Hoteliers Association, Eugene Nwauzi, for his initiative in helping to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in the state.
He added, “Let me say that those of you in the hospitality industry have a very critical role to play in the prevention of Coronavirus in the state. A lot of people come to your hotels for one transaction or the other. Maybe, sometimes, to lodge as guests, and in this season, nobody knows who is who; and the kind of health status of individuals that will come to your hotels.
“That is why it is important that you understand how to begin to engage your customers to ensure that they don’t come, and then, spread the virus in your hotels. What we are seeing, for example, in Hotel Presidential now (making reference to the social distancing sitting arrangement) is laudable, and I think that that is what all the hotels in Rivers State should be doing now.”
He urged them to put the handbills distributed to them in their hotel rooms and receptions to enable anyone who comes into the hotels to know the dos and don’ts as regards to personal hygiene and social distancing in this period, and also urged them to pass on the information gathered from the meeting to all those in the industry, saying, “Everyone needs to be part of what we are doing. I pray that God using all of you, we won’t record any incident from the hotel industry in Rivers State.
