Who says that the hotel industry hasn't done its part in the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)?
The Department of Tourism (DOT) has commended the 21 accommodation establishments in Metro Manila and Region IV-A that repurposed some of their rooms into isolation facilities.
According to the DOT, a total of 2,222 rooms from these hotels have been converted into quarantine facilities as of April 18, while 184 additional rooms are on standby after the Oplan Kalinga Secretariat made arrangements with two accommodation establishments in Quezon City.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat lauded the move of the hotel industry to support national efforts in prioritizing the health and safety of the general public.
“The DOT is one with the entire tourism industry to help mitigate the effects of this pandemic in any way it can. We are guided by our Bayanihan spirit, which has strengthened us since the onset of the pandemic, in working together with the private and public sectors towards our nation's recovery," Puyat said.
According to the DOT, many hotels have served as temporary shelter to medical frontliners, essential workers, and stranded local and foreign travelers who have been affected by the varying levels of community quarantine or lockdowns imposed since the start of the pandemic last year.
Some rooms from these hotels have also been repurposed as quarantine facilities for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), overseas Filipinos, and foreign nationals who have been allowed entry to the country.
The DOT said that in National Capital Region (NCR) and Calabarzon, there are already 29,153 rooms in 131 accommodation establishments available for OFWs as quarantine hotels through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
Meanwhile, 7,687 rooms in 48 accommodation establishments in NCR have been listed as non-OWWA quarantine facilities.