Govt lists out hotels available for quarantine

Kathmandu / June 6: The government has listed out hotels across the Kathmandu Valley and other places that are available for quarantine service for migrant worker returnees who will be evacuated from abroad.

The District Administration Office (DAO), Kathmandu, under the Ministry of Home Affairs made the list of hotels available for quarantine service public on Friday.

The Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) had provided the DAO, Kathmandu with the preliminary list of hotels willing to provide their space to be used as quarantine facilities. A total of 47 hotels including star, tourist standard and deluxe resorts in the Kathmandu Valley, Chitwan, , Rupandehi and Pokhara have been included in the preliminary list. According to HAN, the list will be updated as more hotels will come forward to offer this service in the future.

Star hotels like Grand Hotel, Swiss International, Hotel Sarowar, Airport Hotel, Hotel Baishali, Summit Residency Hotel, Hotel Marsyangdi, Platinum Hotel, Hotel Manang, Hotel Landmark, Hotel Moonlight, Hotel Sabrina, Hotel Landmark, Hotel Kamal, among other are available in Kathmandu and Pokhara for quarantining the abroad returnees.

Similarly, tourist standard hotels including CG Group of Hotels, Vivanta Kathmandu, Lapha Hotel, Hotel Readers Inn, Hotel Everest Mount Holiday, Mirage Lords Inn, Hotel Yambu, Hotel Family Home, Shiva Shankar Hotel, Hotel River, Landmark Forest Park in Kathmandu and Chitwan have opened their services for the abroad returnees.

Resorts like Dreamland Gold Resort at Rupandehi and Park Village in Kathmandu are also available for the quarantine service. The rate of the hotel rooms starts from Rs 2,000 inclusive of four meals a day. The rate can vary depending on the grading of the hotels.

The government will start evacuating thousands of migrant workers from abroad in a few days. After they reach Nepal, those who want to and are able to afford the hotel arrangements can use the available hotels for their quarantine which has been made mandatory by the government.

Tourist standard hotels had decided to step in as a service provider when the government stretched its hand to the hotel industry for help. The hotels across the country remain shut due to the COVID-19 outbreak across the world. The travel restrictions imposed across the country have also affected the hotel industry of Nepal.

Meanwhile, star rated hotels including Nepal’s five star hotels had put forward their concern of room rate to the government. Stating that the amount the government has offered will barely cover the operation cost of the hotels at a time when their businesses are going downhill, they have not come in understanding with the government.