By now, you should know that staycations are permitted, but if you’ve noticed, not all hotels have opened their doors for wanderlusts who’re suffering from withdrawal syndrome.
In fact, as of now, only more than 80 hotels have been approved for staycations.
But it’s not because hotels are dragging their feet to reopen—in fact, they should’ve rushed at the opportunity to reopen because having air for lunch isn’t a long-term solution.
Well, it turns out that it’s due to the very issue that caused them to lose businesses this year: COVID-19.
More Than Half of All Hotel Rooms in S’pore Are Being Used for COVID-19 Purposes
In a virtual press briefing, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) chief executive Keith Tan said that out of the 67,000 hotel rooms in Singapore, more than half of them are being used in the battle against COVID-19.
This includes isolation and quarantine facilities, as well as accommodations for returning residents serving their 14-day stay-home notice.
But wait—according to the figures by the Health Ministry, there were about 10,900 individuals serving stay-home-notices at hotels. Now, even if we house all the remaining recovering COVID-19 patients in hotels instead of isolation facilities for recovering patients, which now stands at 3,653, there should still be enough room. Heck, even if we transfer those in hospital to hotel rooms, it’d just be an extra 170 patients.
Either people in STB failed their maths, or they’re being super kiasu.
And super kiasu they are.
Mr Tan said, “The opening of hotels for staycations has to be balanced against making sure that we have enough of a buffer of hotel rooms that are still required in case there’s any subsequent surge of infections.”
So yes: empty rooms are prepared lest a Sovereign with COVID-19 went around kissing thousands of people.
So far, more than 100 hotels have applied to reopen for staycations, and at this moment, about 80 of them have been given the green light. As of the end of 2018, there were 410 hotels (including hostels with more than 4 rooms).
You can go to this website (which will be updated regularly) to view the list of hotels that have been approved.
And if you indeed intend to head for a staycation, do note that the magical limit of five still applies, and Ah Gong is still enforcing the rules:
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
