A HOTEL in Makati has been asked by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to explain following reports that a guest violated quarantine protocols and went to a bar earlier this month.
The woman guest later tested positive for Covid-19.
Berjaya Hotel Makati, in a letter from the DOT directed to explain, within 3 days, why the person escaped the hotel’s supervision. The agency also attached a social media post showing that the woman was present in one social gathering.
The woman, who was supposedly in mandatory quarantine after arriving from the US, later tested positive for COVID-19. Some of her close contacts in the party also caught the virus, according to reports.
“It has come to the attention of DOT that Ms. Gwyneth Anne Chua, a guest of Berjaya Hotel Makati, was allegedly able to leave your hotel and was seen in a bar in Poblacion, Makati on 23 December 2021 despite being under mandatory quarantine,” the DOT letter read.
“In the interest of due process, you are hereby directed to submit to submit to this Office…. a written explanation why the hotel should not be penalized for violation of the foregoing issuances,” it added.
Under the law, DOT said the hotel is liable for “intentionally providing misinformation and non-cooperation” of the people and entities over the reporting of diseases and health events that concern the public.
The hotel may be also liable for violating the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ resolution on mandatory quarantine for arriving travelers.
According to the tourism department, Chua checked in at Berjaya Hotel on December 22. She was seen in gatherings as posted on social media on December 23. On December 27, results showed she is positive for the coronavirus. She was pulled out from the hotel in coordination with the Bureau of Quarantine.
The Department of Health (DOH) has criticized the incident, and said it is not the time to put people’s lives in danger.
Berjaya Hotel Makati and the woman identified by the DOT have yet to issue public statements on the issue, as of posting.
