Thailand’s Department of Disease Control released recommendations regarding 2020 novel coronavirus
From : “TAT Newsroom”
For self-protection for the general public, tour agencies, hotel operations, tour guides and operators of public transport and crowded places.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to provide a brief of the recommendations for the public and private operators of tourism-related businesses regarding the 2020 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) preventive measures recently released by the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health.
Recommendations for Self-Protection
How to reduce your risk of coronavirus infection – Clean your hands with soaps and water or alcohol-based hand rub, cover the nose and mouth when coughing and/or sneezing with a tissue or flexed elbow, avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms, cook meat and eggs thoroughly, and have no unprotected contact with live wild or farm animals.
Inbound tourists – Local and international travellers, travelling from affected areas within 14 days, who have a fever with respiratory symptoms; such as, cough, sore throat, a runny nose, or difficulty breathing should seek medical attention and notify the medical providers of their travel history, symptoms, and onset date of symptoms.
Tour guides and hotel staff – Protect yourselves by observing your guests’ health status and ask the guests who have respiratory symptoms to wear a mask. Be careful of close contact while performing any duties if it is hard to avoid, wear a mask and regularly wash your hands. Keep your body warm and get enough sleep. If you are sick, seek medical advice at the nearest hospital and notify the history of contact with any suspected patients to the healthcare providers.
Recommendations for Tour Agencies
Inform customers from affected areas before arriving to Thailand about the 2019-nCoV screening measures at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi and Chiang Rai International Airports.
Share information about the health advisories, especially for people with a travel history to affected areas. If someone has any respiratory symptoms as stated above, they should postpone their travel.
Provide surgical masks, alcohol handwashing gel and recommendations for health care, and immediately take any customers with respiratory symptoms to hospital for diagnosis and treatment.
Step up hygiene measures of tour vehicles, especially on parts that are often used by passengers including seating, vehicle seat cases, armrests, curtains, blankets and mirrors/windows, as well as air conditioning systems and restrooms on the buses.
Recommendations for Hotel Operations
Inquire about your guests’ travel history and observe the health status of the guests while staying at the hotel. If a guest travelled during the past 14 days to an affected area and has respiratory symptoms, staff must immediately report him/her to the Department of Disease Control Hotline at Tel. 1422 and require the suspected patient to wear a mask before sending them to the nearest hospital.
Provide masks and install alcohol dispensers for washing hands in common areas; such as, lobbies, restaurants, exercise rooms, doorways or elevators.
Increase awareness among housekeeping staff of the risks of contamination of viral agents on surrounding surfaces. All housekeeping staff need to pay attention to self-protection; such as, wearing a mask and rubber gloves while working. Frequently used items; such as, remote controls, light switches, glasses for water, telephones, headboards, and door handles need to be cleaned to eliminate germs.
For hotels that have had guests who are confirmed cases of the 2019-nCoV, the housekeeping staff must protect themselves by wearing a shower cap, large clear windproof glasses, masks, plastic aprons, long gloves and boots. Cleaning supplies for the room should include bleach with 6% sodium hypochloride mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 100 to clean the areas that may be contaminated or stained with nasal discharge, saliva, or mucus of the confirmed case.
Recommendations for Operators in Domestic Public Transportation
Building and vehicle management – Keep the restrooms, food courts, and ticket sales counters clean and use disinfectant for cleaning of service areas at least every two hours; keep all vehicles clean, especially on surfaces that are frequently touched by passengers; keep all common equipment used by passengers clean; such as, the buttons on kiosks and vending machines, and prepare and provide masks and alcohol gel to passengers and staff at common service areas.
Staff management – Share information on disease prevention and control internally; provide recommendations to staff on what to do if sick and observe the symptoms of customers and staff. Operators and staff working on vehicles should pay attention to self-protection. Annual medical check-ups for staff is recommended.
Service management – Increase ticketing channels; such as, online systems to reduce congestion at ticket counters; ask passengers who have respiratory symptoms to wear a mask and share information to staff about the disease including how to prevent it.
Recommendations for Places Where There are Large Gatherings of People
These include concerts, sports competitions, amusement parks, etc.
Event holders and enterprise management – Have a screening process for people who have any respiratory symptoms; provide alcohol hand sanitisers and masks; clean equipment in crowded places frequently; prepare first aid points and provide simple treatment by isolating the patient first before referring to the nearest hospital; increase the number of shuttle services; spread out the distribution of food stalls; provide health recommendations to participants for disease prevention, and consider postponing activities until the outbreak situation is resolved as appropriate.
Recommendations for participants – Prepare a mask and alcohol gel and follow personal hygiene habits; do not go to a crowded activity if you are sick; recommend any participants with respiratory symptoms to wear a mask, and avoid close contact with people who have symptoms.
* Full details of the recommendations are available at Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19)
