West Virginia Safely Opening Hotels and Lodging Facilities

Title Page

Conducted on
Prepared by
Location

Under Gov. Justice’s reopening plan, West Virginia Strong — The Comeback,
restaurants and bars may open indoor facilities at 50% capacity, as well as offering
outdoor service and take-away and delivery service. Governor Justice has issued the
following guidance to mitigate the exposure and spread of COVID-19 among foodservice workers and patrons.

These guidelines, in addition to the guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WV DHHR), will help West Virginians
transition back to safe dining outside of their homes. Businesses are allowed and encouraged to implement more stringent protocols as they see fit.

As your business reviews and implements these new measures, we encourage you to share and discuss them with your employees and your customers. Communicating enhanced cleaning and sanitization practices will make workers and patrons feel more confident in your restaurants. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in suspension of a restaurant’s or bar’s license to operate or its ABCA license, as applicable, and/or other appropriate enforcement measures.

Note: Effective as of July 7, 2020, all individuals over the age of 9 are required to wear face coverings when in confined, indoor spaces, other than one’s residence or while actively engaged in the consumption of food and/or beverage, and when not able to adequately social distance from other individuals who do not reside in the same household, pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order 50-20.

Per CDC Guidance, exempt from this requirement are:
• children younger than 2 years old,
• anyone who has trouble breathing through a face covering, and
• persons who unable are to remove th face covering without assistance.

GUEST SAFETY & CHECK-INS

o Self-screening: Encourage all patrons to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms with the following questions:
• Have you been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19?
• Are you experiencing a cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat?
• Have you had a fever in the last 48 hours?
• Have you had new loss of taste or smell?
• Have you had vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours?
• Temperature checks: Patrons are encouraged to take their temperature prior to arriving.
o Sick guests: Any guest who exhibits COVID-19 symptoms (i.e., answers yes to any of the screening
o questions or who is running a fever) should seek medical care and/or COVID-19 testing, per CDC guidelines.
o Face coverings: As applicable, guests should be required to wear cloth or disposable cloth face coverings in common areas.
o Social distancing at check-in and check-out: Front desk agents shall practice social distancing, including utilizing every other workstation to ensure separation between employees whenever applicable and possible. Contactless check-in, including mobile check in/check out and pre-key group arrivals are encouraged, when feasible, to reduce lobby population and front desk queues. In addition, contactless payment processes are encouraged, and when not available, employees should minimize contact as much as possible.
o Remote check-ins for cabins or vacation rentals: Remote check-ins, where guests go directly to their properties is preferable. Consider implementing mobile or web-based check-ins.
o Check-in preparation: Assemble any necessary arrival packets or materials in advance to reduce the number of items passed between staff and guests.
o Keys: Sanitize keys or plastic key cards both before and after each use.
o Non-adjacent rooms: During periods of low-to-medium occupancy, guests should be assigned nonadjacent rooms at check-in, when possible.

COMMON SPACES

o No printed pieces: Remove all magazines, newspapers, promotional pamphlets or other shared literature from common areas.
o Hand sanitizer: Install hand sanitizer stations in all public areas, at the most heavily used entrances and exits, outside, lobby elevators and on each floor. If not available, ensure hand soap is readily accessible.
o Trash bins: Provide no-touch trash bins for guest and staff use in common areas.
o Elevators: Guest elevators should not be occupied by more than one person at a time, unless occupants share a reservation.

BELLMAN & VALET SERVICES

o Valet service: Self-parking options should be used, where possible. If valet service is provided, disinfecting of contact points within the vehicle is required. In addition, van and shuttle service shall be limited, and disinfecting of contact points is required.
o Bellmen: Bellmen should not travel to the guest room with the guests, but rather, deliver luggage either before or after guests arrive to their room.
o Bellmen and valets PPE:
• Wear a mask or cloth face covering when interacting with guests.
• Wear gloves while carrying bags or parking/retrieving cars.
• If gloves are unable, bellmen and valets should sanitize their hands before and after performing the requested service.

COMMUNICATION & TECHNOLOGY

o Communication of new policies: Use digital systems, such as your website, social media platforms and email communication, to educate your guests of your new cleaning protocols and safety precautions.
o Emergency contract information: Post emergency contact numbers in your guest portfolios in case of illness among staff or guests.
o Signage: Post signage at each public entrance to inform workers and guests of best practices including, but not limited to:
• Avoid entering if they have a cough, fever or generally feel unwell.
• Maintain a minimum separation of at least six (6) feet in accordance with social distancing guidelines.
• Wear a cloth face covering at all times in property public spaces and common areas.
• Avoid shaking hands or engaging in any unnecessary physical contact.
o Technology: In an effort to reduce person-to-person contact between guests and staff, lodging providers can, and should, consider implementing the following remote technology services:
• Introduce and encourage mobile check-ins and check-outs.
• Implement contactless payment via smartphone and smartwatches.
• Offer the opportunity to order food and beverages through a mobile app or texting service.
• Address guest questions and needs via direct chat software or texting service.

AMENITIES

o Food & Beverage Services: Onsite restaurants must follow Gov. Justice’s most recent guidelines for restaurants. Traditional room services must be replaced with a no-contact delivery method. • Click here to review restaurant guidelines. https://governor.wv.gov/Pages/The-Comeback.aspx
o Pools & Fitness Centers: Operation of such facilities must follow Gov. Justice's most recent guidelines available at governor.wv.gov.
o Outdoor Recreation Equipment Rentals: Onsite recreation equipment rentals must follow Gov. Justice’s most recent guidelines for outdoor recreation outfitters. • Click here to view outdoor recreation outfitter guidelines. https://governor.wv.gov/Pages/The-Comeback.aspx
o Meeting & Conference Spaces: Onsite meeting and banquet arrangements shall allow for physical distancing between guests based on CDC recommendations. Note, that the 25-person limitation on purely social gatherings under the Governor’s Safer-at-Home Order does not apply to group meetings, conferences, or other special events held for Essential Businesses and Operations, as defined by Executive Order 9-20, as amended; but such meetings, conferences, or other special events will need to plan for physical distancing between attendees based on CDC recommendations. • Click here to view Safer at Home Order. https://governor.wv.gov/Pages/The-Comeback.aspx
o Gift shops: Onsite giftshops must follow Gov. Justice’s most recent guidelines for retail stores. • Click here to view specialty retail guidelines. https://governor.wv.gov/Pages/The-Comeback.aspx

STAFF PROTOCOLS

o Screen employees: Screen all employees reporting to work daily for COVID-19 symptoms with the following questions:
• Have you been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19?
• Are you experiencing a cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat?
• Have you had a fever in the last 48 hours?
• Have you had new loss of taste or smell?
• Have you had vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours?
o Temperature checks: Employees are encouraged to take their temperature prior to leaving for work or upon arrival. If their temperature measures over 100 degrees, the employee should notify management and not return to work that day and any future days when the temperature is over 100 degrees.
o Sick employees: Direct any employee who exhibits COVID-19 symptoms (i.e., answers yes to any of the screening questions or who is running a fever) to leave the premises immediately and seek medical care and/ or COVID-19 testing, per CDC guidelines. Employers should maintain the confidentiality of employee health information.
o At-risk individuals: Consider special accommodations for employees that are members of a vulnerable population, like senior citizens or immunocompromised people, including encouraging teleworking to the maximum extent possible among other measures.
o Tracing: Develop and implement policies and procedures for employee contact tracing following employee with a positive COVID-19 test and inform the local health department of such positive test and tracing.
o Stagger schedules: Stagger employee work schedules and breaks on both a shift and work-week basis to minimize social interaction. Stagger employee start and end times to minimize exposure at common entry and exist points.
o Service elevators: Restrict service elevators to one person.
o Necessary supplies: Inform team members that, if PPE and cleaning supplies run low, they are to contact the department manager immediately for additional supplies.
o Shared resources: Discourage workers from sharing resources or other work tools or equipment, whenever possible.
o Physical distancing: Physical distancing among all employees shall be practiced in employee dining rooms, uniform control areas, training classrooms, shared office spaces, and other high-density areas.