How safe are lodges during Covid-19 lockdown?

During his televised address on June 6, President Museveni announced new restrictions to combat the spread of Covid-19, including allowing lodges to operate, while banning bars on grounds that “drunkards can’t keep social distance.”

Current evidence suggests that Covid-19 spreads mainly between people who are in close contact with each other, typically within a metre (short-range); therefore, a person can be infected when droplets containing the virus are inhaled or come directly into contact with the eyes, nose or mouth.

However, some lodges countrywide may not be handling their laundry well, especially with regards to washing with enough detergent and ironing; or are harbouring positive clients who are isolating from there for fear of going home and infecting their families.

Sunday Monitor visited four lodging facilities in Jinja City and discovered that bedsheets are washed and never ironed but simply picked up from the clothing line and laid on beds, while towels are given out to customers when sometimes still damp.

At a guest house in Mafubira Ward, Jinja North Division, with more than 77 rooms, not only are the bedsheets not ironed, but the place teems with couples, some to spend the night, while others to only spend a few hours.

The situation is not any different at another guest house, also located in Mafubira Ward, Jinja North Division. 

The manager of the facility, when hard-pressed, says she is going to start ironing her bedsheets.

However, at another guest house in Bugembe Ward, Jinja North Division, the caretaker says due to the bad weather, sometimes the towels are issued out while still damp.

At a bar and lodge at Kinawataka, Jinja North, in the absence of clients, some of the few available rooms are later taken up by the waitresses.

Luweero District
At Hotel Networth located in Wobulenzi Town Council, the director, Mr Zachariah Ssenabulya, says the management has put in place standard operating proceudres (SOPs) but that they have no capacity to ascertain the health status of the visitors that check into their facility.

“We have since adopted the SOPs for the safety of our customers. We have emphasised personal safety on top of the SOPs that the hotel provides. It is not a requirement for visitors to provide details about their respective health (Covid-19) status but we remind our customers about the need to take personal health safety seriously,” he says.

He adds: “The number of visitors checking into the hotel has reduced following the inter-district travel ban announced by the government last week.” 

In Luweero, the management of Lyderines Hotel in Luweero Town Council, says the laundry services are perfect because management has taken into account the fact that the detergents used for washing kill the germs.

“We wash with soap as recommended and ensure all the bedsheets and towels used are pressed dry before use. We also conduct regular washing and spray to kill the germs. We only subject our customers to temperature measurement but we do not inquire about their respective health status,” Ms Cathy Namatovu, a customer care manager at the hotel, says.
In Mpigi, the few existing lodges are mostly non-operational due to the inter-district movement ban.

Ani Yali Amanyi Guest House in Mpigi Town Council, with more than 50 rooms, is operating but with limited staff, its proprietor, Mr Andrew Wasswa, says.

“We have since been open but no customers are coming in, which forced me to reduce the number of workers from 20 to only five and only have the executive wing in service, which consists of 10 rooms. But it also doesn’t fully get booked.

“We have all the necessary requirements such as temperature guns, sanitisers and we also iron our bedsheets each time they are used, and disinfect the rooms twice a day,” he says.

In West Nile, Mr Yassin Ari, the proprietor of Praford Hotel, says allowing the lodges and hotels to operate in this lockdown period has enabled them earn a living, but without compromising the SOPs.

He says it is their role as hotel and lodge owners to protect the lives of guests who want to use their services so they don’t contract Covid-19 in such places. 

“We don’t have temperature guns at the gate, but we have placed water for washing hands at the entrance and always remind our guests to put on their face masks,” he says.

Mr Ari says when a guest leaves the room, they disinfect the room before collecting the bed sheets, blankets and mosquito nets for washing.

“We make sure the room is cleaned before the next person occupies it and the bedsheets are always ironed. We always avail face masks and sanitisers to the guests in the rooms and instruct them to follow the SOPs,” he adds.

In Arua City, several hotels and lodges carry out registration of guests for easy tracking by asking whether they have any Covid-related signs, including cough and flu.

Mr Jolly Candiru, who works in a hotel she prefers not to be named, says: “Our managers always warn us not to allow guests without face masks because it will endanger our lives; the guidelines are well-spelt out to guests before they are booked.”

Ms Candiru adds that those who work in laundry, including herself, always wash and iron the clothes every day; but sometimes, they develop fear that they could be washing bedsheets that are laced with coronavirus.

In Moyo Town, Ms Christine Atayo, the manager of Aribo M&M hotel, says they cannot allow customers to enter their premises without washing their hands and donning face masks.

“We also make sure we have hand sanitisers placed in each room because we fear losing business if we do not follow the guidelines,” she adds.

In Kasese District, at one guest house in Kasese Town, there is no ironing of bed sheets. 
The lodge has 20 rooms and only one cleaner, who says all rooms have general bathrooms and toilets, which makes it hard for her to clean them regularly after a client has used them.

A caretaker at the lodge says she cannot manage washing and ironing at the same time due to the little pay.
At another lodge in town, the situation is not any different as ironing bedsheets is not given priority because of apparent high electricity bills. 

“It is hard for us to iron bedsheets, but we make sure we wash and dry them well-enough for our clients to use,” a caretaker, says.

A worker at the facility says ironing bedsheets is not a simple task to accomplish singlehandedly as it is “expensive” amid the current financial challenges.

In Kakumiro District, Mr Daniel Mukiiza, the owner of East African Bar and Lodge in Karundi Town, Birembo Sub-county, says the number of customers has drastically reduced as a result of the lockdown.

“We are almost not working because no one is coming to sleep in the lodges. Our business depends on the operations of bars. However, we have handwashing facilities and also fumigate the rooms with disinfectants before a customer can be allowed to sleep,” Mr Mukiiza says.

The lodge, however, does not have a temperature gun but Mr Mukiiza says they are planning to buy one ‘soon’.
Mr Shafique Ssekandi and Mr Darius Nandinda, the Kanungu and Kabale Resident District Commissioners respectively, say as heads of the district Covid-19 taskforces, they have ordered health inspectors to ensure the general cleanliness and observation of the SOPs.

“As Kabale District Covid-19 taskforce committee, we have deployed the health inspectors in Kabale Town to ensure lodge operators and their customers adhere to the established SOPs.

“All staff must put on masks and every lodge must have a temperature gun to ensure all guests are recorded by phone contact, temperature on arrival, where they are coming from and where they are going,” Mr Nandinda says.

Mr Ssekandi says guests without national identity cards are not allowed to be accommodated in any lodge in Kanungu District.

In Mbarara City, a recent survey by Sunday Monitor discovered that some lodges have been turned into bars and entertainment centres.

In Ntungamo, individuals operating lodges say whereas the President said they would be open for customers during day time, they are still not operating given the harassment by security officials and the travel ban across districts.

Operators who have been working at full capacity now receive less than five customers a day. However, they adhere to the SOPs as were discovered from the 10 lodges that were visited.

Mr Ronald Bukenya, who owns a string of lodges, including Chosen Lodge in Ntungamo Town, said the presidential directive locked down all the businesses.

In Gulu, Mr Richard Odongpiny, the Resident City Commissioner, said while other lodges and accommodation facilities follow SOPs, others are abusing them.

“The most perpetrators are facilities operating lodges and bars under the same roof. You know bars were closed but lodges are supposed to operate according to the presidential directives; but they take advantage of the lodges and people just assemble to drink [alcohol],” he says.

Mr Odongpiny, however, adds that they are getting stuck with suspects arrested during curfew operations since the court considered such arrests to be illegal.

“Unfortunately, they are not being fined because the courts are saying these arrests we are making are not backed by law, but just an executive order. We wish the (executive) order was accompanied by a statutory instrument; but for now, unless you find them committing offenses other than violating the SOPs, there is nothing we can do,” he adds.

Without divulging details, Mr Odongpiny states that three facilities operating lodges and bars at the same time have been closed due to their failure to adhere to Covid-19 SOPs.

In Apac Town, some lodges have continued to operate while not observing the SoPs.
For instance, at a lodge in Arocha Division, bedsheets are reportedly washed on a daily basis but not ironed. 

“I was a client there for two days, but I did not see them ironing the bedsheets,” a client said.
However, an employee, who asked not to be named because she is not authorised to speak on behalf of the lodge, said they follow SOPs. 

“We have handwashing facilities and iron our bedsheets every day,” she said.

Mr Jimmy Abili, the Temogo B cell chairperson, confirms that many guest houses in Apac are not doing enough to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“In case any infected people checks into these guest houses, the virus can be spread to many people,” he said.

Backgroun, Specialists speak out

Dr Misaki Wayengera, the head of the ministerial scientific advisory committee on Covid-19, says there is need to guide the lodge owners on handling laundry and disinfecting these places.

“If they are washed with soap, yes the virus will die because of the surfactant effects in soap. Ironing might be an added benefit to the washing, though.

On isolating away from home, he said: “It is a good idea until it poses a risk to other guests using the same facility. We will discuss and get you updated.”

Dr Henry Kajumbula, the head of infection prevention and control on the Ministry of Health Scientific Advisory Committee, says droplets from respiratory secretions can contaminate surfaces, including hard surfaces such as table tops and soft surfaces such as fabrics.

“They tend to survive longer on the hard surfaces than on the softer ones; however, they do survive both for two to three days on the softer surfaces. So, yes, beddings of sick persons could transmit Covid-19,” Dr Kajumbula explains.

And while the lodges were barred from operating their bars, most have thrown Mr Museveni’s caution to the wind and are operating, except for a few, especially those owned by Muslims.

Compiled by Philip Wafula, Fred Wambede, Joseph Omollo, Enid Nisiima, Alex Tumuhimbise, Robert Muhereza, Alex Ashaba, Dan Wandera, Robert Elema, Felix Warom Okello, Rajab Mukombozi, Perez Rumanzi, Ronald Kabanza, Caroline Ayugi, Milton Bandiho, Felix Ainebyoona, Bill Oketch, Santo Ojok & Scovin Iceta.