Akwa Ibom State Government has reiterated that Hotels in the State remain closed pending the lift on the ban on the hospitality industry by the Federal government.
Dr. Ini Akpabio-led Akwa Ibom Hospitality Monitoring Team, AKHMT, stated this recently while monitoring hotels in the state for compliance with the COVID-I9 guidelines and protocols.
Speaking during the exercise, Dr. Ini Akpabio who is also the Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Hotels and Tourism Board said that the purpose of the monitoring exercise was to ensure that hotels in the state complied with the directive of government by shutting down their services in order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the state.
He explained that once the federal government ban on the hospitality industry in the country was lifted, guidelines would be presented to the operators of hotels in the state, which he said would be in accordance with the safety measures for curbing the spread of the COVID-19 virus as stipulated by the Nigeria Center for Diseases Control [NCDC] and the World Health Organization [WHO].
Dr. Akpabio disclosed that some hotels in the state who were found violating the government directive as regards the hospitality industry were issued warrants to appear before the AKHMT committee on a scheduled date.
The committee chairman however advised hospitality industry operators in the state to be prepared to comply with the NCDC and WHO guidelines on COVID-19 pandemic when the ban on the hospitality industry is lifted.