Decision No. 473/QD-TCDL 2020 Guidance on COVID-19 prevention measures at travel enterprises

DECISION

Providing the Guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures, ensuring safety at travel enterprises, tourist areas and spots, tourist accommodation establishments and tourist service business establishments

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THE GENERAL-DIRECTOR OF THE VIETNAM NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION OF TOURISM

Pursuant to the Prime Minister s Decision No. 17/2018/QD-TTg dated March 30, 2018 defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism - the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 19/CT-TTg dated April 24, 2020 on continuing to implement measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic in the new situation;

Pursuant to the direction of the Prime Minister on allow to re-open domestic tourism activities, paying attention to the assurance of pandemic prevention and control requirements and not gathering crowds in the Notice No. 170/TB-VPCP dated April 28, 2020 of the Government Office;

At the proposal of the Director of the Travel Department and Hotel Department,

DECIDES:

Article 1.To promulgate together with this Decision “the Guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures, ensuring safety at travel enterprises, tourist areas and spots, tourist accommodation establishments and tourist service business establishments”.

Article 2.This Decision takes effect on the signing date.

Article 3.The Chief Office, Heads of affiliated units of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Directors of Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Directors of Departments of Culture, Information, Sports and Tourism, travel enterprises, tourist areas and spots, tourist accommodation establishments and tourist service business establishments, relevant organizations and individuals shall be responsible for the implementation of this Decision./.

GUIDANCE

ON THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PREVENTION AND CONTROL MEASURES, ENSURING SAFETY AT TRAVEL ENTERPRISES, TOURIST AREAS AND SPOTS, TOURIST ACCOMMODATION ESTABLISHMENTS AND TOURIST SERVICE BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS
(Attached to the Decision No.    /QD-TCDL dated April    , 2020 of the General-Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism)

Article 1. Scope of regulation

Providing the Guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures, ensuring safety at travel enterprises, tourist areas and spots, tourist accommodation establishments and tourist service business establishments in the whole country.

Article 2. Subjects of application

1. Travel enterprises, tourist areas and spots, tourist accommodation establishments and tourist service providers; tourists, persons staying and using services in tourist business establishments.

2. Officials, tour guides, staff in travel enterprises, tourist areas and spots, tourist accommodation establishments and tourist service business establishments.

3. Visitors coming to contact or work; persons providing supplies, goods and services for tourist service business establishments.

Article 3. General rules for the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures, ensuring safety at travel enterprises, tourist areas and spots, tourist accommodation establishments and tourist service business establishments

1. Subjects as prescribed in Article 2 shall strictly implement the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures provided by the competent authorities.

2. To ensure safety for tourists, persons using tourist service business, officials, tour guides, staff in travel enterprises, tourist areas and spots, tourist accommodation establishments and tourist service business establishments; visitors coming to contact or work; persons providing supplies, goods and services for tourist service business establishments.

3. To avoid cross-spreading and spreading pathogens to tourists, persons using tourism services, officials, tour guides, staff and people coming to contact or work and the community.

4. To provide and ensure the service quality for tourists and persons using services in tourist service business establishments.

5. To record health information of tourists, persons staying and using services and visitors coming to contact or work, persons providing supplies, goods and services in accordance with guidance of the competent medical authorities. To build a database to store the above-mentioned persons and support the competent authorities in retrieving people suspected of being infected with COVID-19 when needed.

Article 4. Specific requirements for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic

1. For travel enterprises, tourist areas and spots, tourist accommodation establishments and tourist service business establishments

a) Officials, tour guides and staff that are guided and disseminated about measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic. To post the guidance for safety, prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic at the reception, public areas, service places and in the bedrooms of the tourist accommodation establishments.

b) To arrange the reception, doors and paths to ensure proper distance according to the Ministry of Health’s guidance.

c) To organize to check temperature for all tourists coming to use services, visitors coming to contact or work and persons providing supplies, goods and services; to provide masks for customers when needed.

b) To arrange hand-washing sinks with clean water, soap, dry paper or provide hand sanitizer products at reception areas, service areas, elevators, departments areas, changing stalls of officials and employees strictly in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s guidance.

dd) To clean and disinfect public and service areas every day; elevators and reception areas must be cleaned and disinfected at least 03 times a day; for tourist accommodation establishments, bedrooms must be cleaned and disinfected when guests check out.

e) Tourist services shall be only organized if the provisions on distancing and number of people are fully met. For food and drink catering services at tourist accommodation establishments, if failing to ensure the prescribed distance, food and drink will be served at guests bedrooms, not arrange too many people to sleep in one room.

b) To arrange enough equipment, personal belongings for each guest and disposable gloves for guests when needed. To equip enough trash cans with lids at public places, in restaurants and service areas.

h) To make a book to monitor health status of each official, tour guide and employee. To check the temperature for officials and employees at work places. An employee showing any sign of influenza, cough, fever or coming from infected areas must stay home and monitor his/her health at home.

i) Officials, tour guides and staff must wear masks, keep a distance upon having communication, and wash their hands regularly.  For tourist accommodation establishments, housekeepers must wear gloves when cleaning and serving customers.

k) To arrange persons in charge of and monitor the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control. Officials, tour guides and staff are not allowed to share and post information about the pandemic in the tourist service business establishments on social networks and media. To formulate and publicize the hot line to exchange information and support customers.

l) To promptly report the local health facilities when detecting people showing any sign of COVID-19 infection.

2. For tourists, persons using tourist services and visitors coming to contact or work in tourist business establishments

a) Visitors must be check their temperature when coming to carry out transaction, work and use tourist services; to implement measures to prevent pandemic according to the health authorities’ guidance; to comply with the arrangement of tourist service business establishments to remain safe distance.

b) Visitors must wear masks, except for the case of being in bedrooms or when eating and drinking at the dining table in restaurants and bars.

c) It is not allowed to share personal belongings such as cups, water bottles, towels, etc.; it is recommended to often wash hands properly.

d) To cover nose, mouth when coughing and sneezing, especially, when eating and drinking. Towels and paper used to cover mouth must be placed in the right places as prescribed.

dd) To coordinate with functional authorities and employees of the tourist service business establishments.  To notify the functional authorities if showing any sign of COVID-19 infection after checking out of the tourist service business establishments.

e) It is not allowed to share and post information about the pandemic in the tourist service business establishments on social networks and media.

g) To comply with other regulations of the tourist business establishments.

Article 5. Implementation organization

1. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Department of Culture, Information, Sports and Tourism and the Department of Tourism shall guide tourist service business establishments in areas to deploy the above-mentioned COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures; organize to inspect and supervise as prescribed by law.

2. Any difficulty and problem arising in the course of implementation of this Guidance and relevant regulations should be promptly reported by organizations and individuals to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to summarize and request the competent authority for amendment and supplement./.