Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the Health Handling Division of the COVID-19 Task Force Alexander K. Ginting emphasized that hotels used for COVID-19 quarantine and those used by the public to stay during holidays should be separate.

"Those who are quarantined cannot stay at the same location as those who are not undergoing quarantine. We must separate the entrance," Ginting noted on Thursday.

The task force head emphasized that the separation was crucial to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 to healthy people, especially since the new variant called Omicron had surfaced.

Ginting explained that if the hotel only had one main building and one door for the entrance, then it is suggested to be assigned as a quarantine hotel.

On the other hand, if the hotel has several buildings, such as the right and left wings, then it might be considered to function as a quarantine and regular lodging facility.

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The same rule is also expected to be applied in hotels with several inns managed under the same management.

"However, the public must understand that hotels may serve for quarantine only or be assigned as a regular hotel as well. Please check the hotel buildings whether they have only one entrance or multiple entrances," Ginting emphasized.

On a separate occasion, coordinator of the Expert Team and spokesperson for the Government's COVID-19 Handling Wiku Adisasmito stated that to support the prevention of COVID-19 transmission, quarantine facility managers must provide health facilities that comply with standards.

The health standards comprised disinfection and routine maintenance of cleanliness in the vicinity.

In addition, the hotel's management, assigned as a quarantine facility, must provide regular health checks, especially for the high-risk population.

"This includes providing an information hotline, with quick response time, and conducting strict quarantine surveillance," he stated.

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Translator: Hreeloita D S, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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