Hoteliers voice concern over government plans to phase out quarantine hotels

Hoteliers voice concern over government plans to phase out quarantine hotels

2022-09-23

Hoteliers are voicing concern over government plans to phase out quarantine hotels, which will be rendered obsolete with the end of quarantines for international arrivals. Some say the transition to normal tourism operations won’t be easy, given the current shortage of labor in the hospitality sector. Others say there are oversights in the phaseout plan. They say there are no clear instructions on what to do with travelers who have to isolate after catching COVID in Taiwan. Some suggest that a handful of quarantine hotels could be converted into centers that cater specifically to this demographic, taking advantage of the experience garnered over the past years.

Wearing a full set of protective clothing, he sprays disinfectant to thoroughly sanitize the room. Mandatory quarantines for travelers could be removed as early as Oct. 13, spelling the end for quarantine hotels. Hoteliers say that, although they knew this day would come, they still have a few concerns about the future.

Michael Hsueh
Hotel group
What if a guest tests positive? We are not very clear about what to do about that. The government just told us that they are planning to phase out quarantine hotels. We haven’t been told about the fine details about how to go about this and the rules to follow.

Tseng Mei-chuan
New Taipei City Hotel Association
Quarantine hotels can be transformed into specialized hotels for housing COVID patients. Their staff have been trained for a while now, and they have the expertise. People who catch COVID and have to isolate should absolutely not stay at regular hotels. The infection rate for international arrivals is still very high.

Hoteliers say tourists who test positive while staying at a regular hotel could pose an infection risk for other guests. They say one way to avoid this is by turning some of the quarantine hotels into specialized accommodation for infected travelers. Meanwhile, some quarantine hotels say that going back to normal tourism operations is not easy, as there is a shortage of manpower.

Michael Hsueh
Hotel group
There is a massive shortage of housekeepers. Our employees have gone through training to be able to perform each other’s jobs. At least in the short term, they can support each other, so we should be OK on that front.

Tseng Mei-chuan
New Taipei City Hotel Association
I call on our government to assist our industry with recruiting migrant workers. Otherwise, there will be insufficient personnel in the tourism industry.

A short-term manpower shortage has become a major challenge in the hospitality sector. Some hoteliers say they hope the government will release supporting measures, explain procedures clearly and provide subsidies and training, to help quarantine hotels ease back into normal business.

Victor Wang
CECC
We might need a little longer to completely phase out quarantine hotels. But we can’t wait forever. We can’t wait for them all to reconvert before we lift quarantine restrictions. So we can open up while putting in place policies with medium-term plans.

The CECC says it will discuss plans to phase out quarantine hotels with the Tourism Bureau. With only three weeks left before the potential end of quarantines, hoteliers say they hope they will be given enough time to prepare for the arrival of international tourists.

防疫旅館將退場業者盼政府完善配套措施

2022-09-23

隨著入境0+7免隔離，最快10月13日上路，防疫旅館面臨退場，但不少業者覺得倉促，保持觀望態度，除了擔憂相關配套規範還沒出爐，萬一之後碰上房客確診，不知道該如何處理。還面臨人力短缺，希望政府盡快確定，入住旅客驗陽後的後送方式，並提供實質補助，才能加快轉型。

身穿全套防護裝備、噴灑殺菌劑，飯店人員加強清消。隨著入境0+7免隔離，最快10月13日上路，防疫旅館面臨退場，業者雖然盼到這天，卻也有些憂心。

[[飯店集團副總經理薛志民]]
“(房客)如果是陽性的話那怎麼辦？那我們也不是很清楚。政府只是告訴我們是說，(研擬退場)有這樣的情形，詳細的一些怎麼樣去做一些規範還沒有告訴我們。”

[[新北市旅館公會理事長曾美絹]]
“防疫旅館可以把它做成特約旅館，因為防疫旅館的工作人員畢竟已經教育訓練一段時間，也都很熟練了。(確診隔離)千萬真的不要放到一般旅館去，因為現在進來的確診率也還是算很高。”

萬一碰上房客確診，恐怕仍有交叉感染風險，業者建議保留部分防疫旅館、轉作特約旅宿。另外，想重回觀光市場，還面臨人力短缺問題。

[[飯店集團副總經理薛志民]]
“特別是在房務方面的一些同仁，有很大的一個空缺在那個地方。實際上來講，我們自己本身的員工，也有在做這方面的交叉訓練，所以在短期的時間來講的話，我們員工互相支援支持，做這方面的工作是OK的。”

[[新北市旅館公會理事長曾美絹]]
“呼籲我們政府，一定要協助我們業者進一些移工，要不然的話，光是觀光產業裡面的人員就已經是不足了。”

旅宿短期人力荒、成為一大挑戰，也有業者保持觀望，期盼政府把配套規範，講清楚說明白，並提供實質輔導補助，才能加快轉型。

[[疫情指揮中心指揮官王必勝]]
“如果說(防疫旅館)要完全退場，可能需要時間是比較長一點，但是我們開放也不可能一直等，等到它完全退場才開放，所以我們一面在做開放，另外一方面會做政策做一個比較中期的規劃。”

指揮中心回應，相關退場計畫，會盡快跟觀光局討論。但距離國門開放只剩三週，準備迎接觀光客到來，旅宿業者只希望，別讓他們措手不及。

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Yao Wen-chih
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