Normalization Process in Accommodation Facilities announced by the Ministry...IMPORTANT
CIRCULAR NO: 20/70
Istanbul, 13.05.2020
URGENT/VERY IMPORTANT
Relevant Unit : Office of the Chairman of the Board, General Management, All Departments
Subject : Normalization Process in Accommodation Facilities
Reference : Ministry of Interior letter dated 28.04.2020
Executive Summary : With Circular No. 2020/6 published by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the measures to be taken within accommodation businesses that are currently operating or that will begin operating, aimed at preventing the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, have been announced.
Dear Member,
With Circular No. 2020/6 published by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the measures to be taken by accommodation businesses that are currently operating or that will begin operating, aimed at preventing the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, have been announced.
The provisions of the said Circular are presented below.
During the operations of tourism businesses, the measures announced by the relevant public institutions or organizations shall be fully observed.
A protocol covering COVID-19 and hygiene rules/practices shall be prepared for the entire business; the protocol shall be evaluated at regular intervals and updated by taking into account the problems encountered in practice, the solutions introduced, and the measures put into practice by public institutions or organizations. Within the scope of the protocol, the approach of personnel toward a customer showing symptoms of illness and the procedures to be applied shall also be defined. In addition, a social distancing plan shall be prepared for common-use areas.
Written information regarding COVID-19 measures and practices shall be provided at guest reception; in addition, visual information regarding the rules to be applied/observed and social distancing shall be displayed throughout the facility in places that guests and personnel can easily see. Social distancing markings shall be made wherever queues may form.
In the event that a guest or member of personnel showing suspicion of illness is identified, the authorities shall be notified, the person shall be isolated until taken over by a health institution, their services shall be provided by personnel for whom safety measures have been taken, and if COVID-19 has been diagnosed, the customer room shall be disinfected with standard-compliant materials and ventilated after the accommodation has ended.
GUEST RECEPTION
Accommodation facilities shall receive guests at a capacity determined while maintaining social distancing rules.
Guests shall be received at the entrance to the facility with thermal camera or contactless temperature measurement applications, disinfection mats (rugs), and hand disinfection facilities. Personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves shall be kept available to be given to guests upon request.
Guests shall be asked to provide information about the places they have been in the last 14 days, their chronic illnesses if any, and whether they have had COVID-19.
As far as possible, contactless payment shall be accepted.
COMMON-USE AREAS
In-elevator floor markings and written information shall be provided regarding the use of elevators in accordance with social distancing rules.
All common-use areas, including dining halls, the meeting hall, the pastry hall, the multipurpose hall, the conference hall, the lobby, the reception area, the lounge, the game room, the show hall, entertainment and animation areas, the bar, the discotheque, sales units, the seating/waiting/dining arrangements located in open areas, and the awnings/sun loungers around the pool and on the shore, shall be arranged in accordance with the social distancing plan; the necessary measures regarding social distancing shall be taken, markings shall be made, and no more guests than the capacity set in the plan shall be admitted.
The social distancing requirement shall not be sought between guests staying in the same room or belonging to the same family in their use of common spaces.
Units such as game rooms reserved for children, children's clubs, amusement parks, and playgrounds-areas within the facility shall not be opened for service.
Hand disinfectant or antiseptic shall be kept available at the entrances of common-use areas and shared customer toilets, as well as at different locations in large common-use areas.
The entrance doors of shared toilets shall, if possible, be arranged as an automatic door system; if this cannot be arranged, the entrance doors shall be kept open by placing an appropriate screen.
If units such as the gymnastics hall and sports hall are opened for service, a reservation system shall be applied to ensure their safe use; the number of people who can use them at the same time and the duration shall be limited, and after each use the use areas and equipment shall be cleaned with standard-compliant hygiene materials. In these spaces, products such as soap, shampoo, and shower gel shall be offered to guests as single-use items.
SPA units such as Turkish baths, saunas, and massage units shall not be opened for service at facilities that do not hold a Healthy Tourism Certificate.
Beach-pool towels shall be offered for guest use inside closed bags or by assigned personnel.
The distance between tables where food service is provided shall be arranged as 1.5 meters, and 60 cm between side-by-side chairs. Service personnel shall take care to maintain distancing rules and avoid contact during service.
If an open buffet is offered, a plexiglass or similar barrier shall be installed on the guest side of the buffet to prevent guest access, and service shall be provided by kitchen personnel.
Equipment such as tea/coffee machines, water dispensers, and beverage machines located in common-use areas shall be removed, or guests shall be served by a service attendant.
Hygiene cleaning with alcohol-based products shall be performed after each guest's use of items such as dining tables, chairs, service utensils, sugar, salt, spices, napkins, and menus.
If possible, single-use sugar, salt, spices, and napkins shall be used.
PERSONNEL
Regular health checks of personnel shall be carried out, and periodic information shall be obtained from personnel so that the people they live with can be monitored in terms of COVID-19.
All personnel shall be provided with special training on the outbreak and hygiene.
Thermal camera or contactless temperature measurement applications, disinfection mats, and hand disinfection or antiseptic shall be kept available at the personnel entrance.
Personal protective equipment (such as masks, surgical masks, gloves, and face shields) appropriate to their workplace and their contact with guests and the environment, along with hand disinfection facilities, shall be provided to personnel, and their use shall be monitored.
The daily cleaning and hygiene of personnel uniforms shall be ensured.
Care shall be taken to employ the same personnel as far as possible in the same shift.
The personnel changing-shower-toilet and shared dining and rest areas shall be arranged in accordance with social distancing conditions; if necessary, arrangements such as floor markings, tape, and barriers shall be made in this regard, and the cleaning and rule-compliant disinfection of these areas shall be ensured regularly.
If there is staff housing within the facility or in a separate location, accommodation shall be provided in rooms of at most 4 people, accommodation shall not be in a dormitory system, the cleaning, hygiene, and health measures of the housing and the dining units shall be ensured under the conditions valid for guest units, and persons who are not personnel shall not be allowed access to these units.
Rules shall be established and their implementation monitored to keep the contact of persons temporarily admitted to the facility for supply or other reasons (repair, maintenance, etc.) at a minimum level. In addition, these persons shall be ensured to carry out their work while maintaining the social distancing rule and using protective equipment.
If symptoms of illness are detected in a member of personnel, they shall be ensured to apply to the nearest health institution.
GENERAL CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE
The cleaning of all areas shall be carried out, according to the nature of the surface, with standard-compliant disinfection materials and at appropriate frequency, and traceability records of these applications shall be kept.
The floors of toilets, toilet bowls, urinals, sinks, faucet and tap heads, and door handles shall be cleaned and disinfected frequently, and traceability records shall be kept. Liquid soap shall be continuously available.
The periodic maintenance and, where necessary, the sterilization of the ventilation and air-conditioning system and other tools, equipment, materials, and devices such as washing machines and dishwashers shall be ensured.
Surfaces with heavy hand contact, such as door handles, handrails, elevator buttons, light switches, POS devices, television remotes, telephones, towel cards, room cards or keys, and the water heaters located in rooms, shall be cleaned frequently with disinfectant, and traceability records shall be kept.
Customer rooms, the hand-contact surfaces in rooms, and equipment such as telephones, remotes, water heaters, and door-window handles shall be cleaned with disinfecting products when the guest's stay ends. As far as possible, single-use amenity (buklet) materials and information forms shall be used in rooms.
Cleaning of guest bedrooms shall be carried out by mask-wearing personnel, using single-use gloves for each customer room. The towels, duvet covers, pillows, and sheets of a customer or member of personnel diagnosed with Covid-19 shall be collected separately and washed separately. Enclosed spaces shall be naturally ventilated frequently. The filters of air conditioners/ventilation systems shall be changed frequently.
Gray, lidded waste bins shall be placed in personnel-use areas and customer common-use areas; it shall be indicated that these bins are only for materials such as masks and gloves, and these wastes shall not be combined with other wastes during disposal.
The cleaning and hygiene of the kitchen and associated areas, of every kind of equipment and apparatus used in the kitchen, and of counters and storage areas shall be ensured regularly.
Hygiene barriers, sterilization devices, and the tools and equipment necessary for hand and body hygiene shall be kept available in the food production area and the kitchen area during the shipment of raw materials and products. Personnel who are not assigned to duty may not enter the kitchen areas.
All foods shall be stored in closed cabinets or covered. To prevent cross-contamination, unprocessed food items and prepared foods shall be kept in separate places in the kitchen. In addition, no food item shall be brought into contact with the floor.
Kitchen personnel shall use work clothing and personal protective equipment during work, and shall wash and disinfect their hands regularly.
Visual/written information regarding the rules that personnel must observe and good hygiene practices shall be provided in the kitchen.
Throughout the facility (including bars and snack bars), service utensils shall be washed in the dishwasher.
The cleaning and hygiene of the pool water and of the area around the pool and beach shall be ensured to the maximum extent.
The chlorine level shall be kept between 1-3 ppm in outdoor pools and between 1-1.5 ppm in indoor pools. Traceability records of periodic measurements shall be kept.
This circular will be updated over time depending on the process.
We bring the matter to your attention in view of its importance and recommend that you take the necessary measures within the framework of the provisions of the Circular.
Respectfully,
TÜROB - Association of Turkish Hoteliers
Müberra ERESİN
Chairman of the Board
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