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Kohima, March 17 (EMN): The Kohima Hotels and
Restaurants Union (KHRU) has decided not to entertain tourists—domestic and
international—at check-in hotels, in and around Kohima in view of the
coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
The decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the union held at Hotel Japfu in Kohima on Tuesday. Also, the government of Nagaland has banned tourists for an unspecified period of time.
Those hotels defying the decision and continuing to shelter tourists will be doing so at their own risk, according to the union.
However, the hotels would be kept open for locals, it informed. ‘If the state government notifies hotels to close down, the union will give full cooperation. The union's decision of restricting tourists will continue until Covid-19 situation normalises’, it added.
In the event of suspected Covid-19 cases, the union stated that it would not allow the person to be quarantined at the hotel ‘at any cost’.
The president of KHRU, Khrielakuo Sekhose has asked all its members to take precautionary measures at their respective hotels. The general secretary of KHRU, Atanu, urged members to “take business secondary” at a crucial stage like this.
He added that taking such measures was for the safety of the people.
The union informed that some of the hotels and restaurants in the capital have already blocked online bookings, stating that the majority of bookings came through online.
Dr. Aseno, from the chief medical officer’s establishment in Kohima, briefed the members on Covid-19. She said that the surveillance team in Kohima has tracked 155 foreigners till now. Most of the tourists either stayed in Kohima or Dimapur, while a few of them went to Mon, she informed.
Saying that the majority of these tourists stayed in hotels and restaurants, she urged the members to take ‘extreme precautionary measures’ while attending to guests.
The members were asked to disinfect doorknobs, light switches, keys etc. While pointing out the importance of contact tracing, she appealed to the members to keep track of the travel history and plans ahead of tourists.
The doctor also said that many students studying outside were returning to the state. She appealed to the students to isolate themselves from their family members on their arrival and fulfil the quarantine period of 14 days to avoid any eventualities.
She advised the elderly people to stay at home and avoid gathering in crowded places, as they are vulnerable to Covid-19.