Orascom Development Holding (ODH) will gradually reopen hotels in its Red Sea resort town of El Gouna for domestic tourism as of May 15, with plans to have all on-site hospitality facilities fully operational almost a week later, Invest-Gate reports.

“According to the government regulations, hotels will be permitted to operate at a maximum capacity of 25% until May 31, then at 50% by June. The number of residents will be in accordance with guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and medical measures, ensuring the quality of personal protective tools and sterilization materials,” ODH stated in a press release on May 11.

After bringing the tourism sector to a halt as part of the unprecedented measures to stem the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, the government has set a raft of regulations for hotels to be allowed to resume operations, as officials say the North African country could gradually restore normalcy after the Feast of Ramadan.

Besides having a designated quarantine area to house people exhibiting symptoms of the infection, hotels will not be allowed to hold parties, weddings, and overnight activities. The provision of personal protective kits and disinfection equipment is a must, in addition to the increased cleaning and sterilization frequency of all areas. Resident doctors are be required to be stationed on-site and armed with rapid test kits to regularly test all workers and guests.

“We have used the time of the temporary suspension of the hotel operation to monitor WHO guidelines, government mandates, and public health advancements to tailor and implement sanitation and staff training programs that ensure our hotels continue to provide a safe haven for our guests and staff,” ODH’s Executive Committee Member Abdelhamid Abouyoussef underscored.

Abouyoussef anticipates domestic travel to pick up, highlighting that local occupancies in El Gouna “are increasing more than usual” due to the suspension of international travel. “Moreover, in appreciation of the situation and the travel uncertainties, ODH has released flexible booking terms and conditions. This initiative helped maintain decent short-term demand levels.”