A hotel that accepted Japanese nationals returning from Wuhan, China, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus reopened its doors to guests on Friday.
The Katsuura Hotel Mikazuki in Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture, which was forced to suspend all business twice due to its accepting those returning from China and the government's declaration of a state of emergency, invited doctors to educate its employees on how viruses infect people and on ways to interact face-to-face with guests.
After accepting 191 people returning from Wuhan between Jan. 29 and Feb. 13 at the request of the government, the hotel disinfected the entire building and reopened on Mar. 1. However, following the declaration of a state of emergency, the hotel had to once again suspended operations beginning April 7.
Prior to the second reopening, the hotel had about 100 employees undergo a corona countermeasure course in cooperation with Kameda Medical Center in the prefecture, which provided medical support to those who returned from Wuhan. The hotel took measures for guests to encourage social distancing. For example, the number of guests allowed to enter the dining hall was limited to 60% of the usual number, and the number of seats available in the washing area of the large public bath was reduced.
An AI thermograph was installed at the hotel's entrance to instantly measure visitors' body temperature, and employees wearing face shields welcomed guests. A 56-year-old guest from Yokohama, who visited the hotel with his wife said, "I wanted to help support [this hotel] after seeing how they supported people returning from China on TV."
Another 60-year-old female guest from the city of Nishitokyo, said with a smile, "I decided to stay [at the hotel] because I felt that I could expect thorough virus prevention measures put in place after its experience accepting people returning from China
Masanori Kishikawa, deputy manager of the hotel, said, "The sharp increase in Tokyo's number of infections is disturbing, but the three-month suspension provided us with an opportunity to improve the quality of our hotel. We'd like guests to come to us with peace of mind."
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