 Two COVID-19 certified hotel properties have been sharing their experience as the island tourism sector reopens. Anisia Antoine has the details. As St Lucia officially opened its borders on July 6, 2020, hoteliers have put measures in place in following the established protocols to ensure that the health of locals and visitors alike remain a priority. General Manager of the Bay Gardens Hotel, Walter Wood Patrick, explained that staff have undergone immense training to make certain that they are well prepared. The manager noted that currently 35 staff have resumed work. What we do now, the staff bus will pick up the guests, the sorry, the staff at the closest point to their home. When the staff gets on property, they do the, and I always tell them hand washing is more effective than all the sanitizing. So there is a hand washing station as they enter the property, wash their hands, they do their temperature checks, then they go and clock in and they're going. When the staff are leaving after they've completed their day's work, they have a shower before they leave the property and we now, we have brought in a team from 3 to 11 and 11 to 7 to wash laundry and iron the staff uniform. So they don't leave the property, going back home with their uniforms. So the uniforms are washed on property, they take a shower before they leave. So when they come back the next day, they come in with the civilian clothes, but they go in and they have their uniforms already. The general manager detailed the preventative measures that have been implemented for visitors to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19. To start off, first of all, when the guests came in, because the vehicle would have already gone through the protocols from the airport and they came in, they did the sanitizing as they enter the property. From sanitizing, they went straight to the nurse's station, so they can have the temperature check done. From temperature check, they proceeded to the counter to do the actual check-in. So in the past, we would print a red card, give the guests a pen and again, because health, safety, and you know, keeping the six feet physical distancing, all that coming into play. So we now have contactless check-in procedures, meaning the guests would go, we have the monitor, the guests would do the check-in in, and you know, after the check-in, then they go online, they go to the rooms and we no longer, in the past, we had a welcome pack. Everything now, you have Q4, you have scan me, and that is how you're going to get the information. So for dining, for spa, anything you need, no longer people. So the guest is the only one who's going to handle that key. Public relations manager at Sandals Resorts, Judy Ditterville, stated that the training and protocols put in place by the Ministry of Tourism have played an effective role in assisting the resort chain. The COVID-19 certification has created an element of safety for both visitors and workers. They're coming to a hotel that has been COVID certified, and so they understand that there'll be a level of protocols in place already, so our job really is to maintain the communication to ensure they understand what can be done and what cannot be done to keep all of us safe, them as well as us and the country by extension as well. So the training has been critical throughout the process. The tourism representatives encouraged all individuals to continue to take the necessary precautions to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19. From the Government Information Service, I am Anicia Antoine reporting.