Additional 4 Tourism businesses receive conditional approval for reopening

– Caiman House, Cara Lodge Hotel, Guyana Truly Wild, Pandama Retreat and Winery Resort are ready to safely welcome guests

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) is happy to announce that 4 tourism businesses have so far, for the month of February been granted their conditional approvals for reopening. Caiman House, Cara Lodge Hotel, Guyana Truly Wild and Pandama Retreat & Winery Resort can now commence welcoming travellers and guests to their properties based on the guidelines tied to the National COVID-19 measures and GTA’s recommended Hygiene and Sanitation protocols.

It is imperative that those businesses which have since received their conditional approvals be reminded to maintain the protocols as outlined by the Guyana Tourism Authority and the National COVID-19 measures. Failure to comply with  these  guidelines  will  result  in  the revocation of approvals.

Domestic and international travellers are urged to use only those GTA-approved tourism businesses to ensure that themselves and their peers’  safety are prioritised while enjoying amazing tour activities in a safe, controlled setting. A list of the tourism businesses (tourism accommodation establishments, interior lodges and resorts, and tour companies) that have received conditional approval can be found on the  GTA’s  Facebook  profile under the albums titled “Safe for  Travel” and “Safe for Indoor Dining”.

Director of the GTA, Carla James expressed that “the tourism businesses are doing their part to keep travellers, their team and community safe. The resilience and camaraderie witnessed over the past few months to combat the ongoing effects of COVID-19 and reopen the sector in a safe way has been remarkable. While it is not quite over, we are confident that as long as we continue along the path that we are on, the recovery of our sector will be strong.”

The 2-step process for tourism businesses to reopen as directed by the GTA and the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) remains the same:

●    Submission of Business’s written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to the GTA for a desk review.

●    On-site inspection of Businesses to verify the implementation of the SOPs and approval by the GTA.

Reopening of Restaurants and Bars

As per the COVID-19 National Safety Measures dated January 31, 2021, restaurants and bars are allowed  to  reopen at 40% capacity.

Pre-approval to reopen is not required, however restaurants  and  bars  must  comply  with  the  COVID-19  Safety Measures and the guidelines that have been set up for the safe operations of their business. To hold restaurants and bars accountable and keep the dining public safe, the GTA in collaboration with the Mayor & City Council, Ministry of Health and the National COVID-19 Task Force through its monitoring system will continue to request standard operating procedures (SOPs) from businesses and conduct unannounced