COVID-19 vaccinations rolled out to personnel in hotel industry, 'vital pillar' of economy

COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled away to workers in the hotel industry, which Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan has referred to as a "crucial pillar" of Singapore's economy.

Speaking to reporters in Thursday (Jan 28), Mr Tan said that by Jan 25, about 3,000 hotel employees possess been vaccinated. Of the, 2,000 work in the 70 accommodations designated as stay-home find facilities. 

Mr Tan was speaking at the Raffles City Convention Centre, where resort workers were receiving their jabs. 

"The resort industry, the tourism industry, they're critical pillars of our economy, and so are obviously the workers. And so they're efficiently the frontline," said Mr Tan. 

"(The vaccination) gives self-assurance to your frontline staff. In addition, it gives confidence to people who are working in these stay-house designated facilities, those people that are returning from overseas, but then also those that are on staycations," he added.

"They are where there's publicity, and you want to make sure that you protect your frontline, and the vaccination does precisely that."

On Jan 5, Minister for Education Lawrence Wong announced that hotel staff in contact with people serving stay-home notice would be positioned on a rostered regimen testing regime and become tested for COVID-19 every fourteen days.

When asked if the hotel employees would continue to feel the routine assessment, Mr Tan said testing will still be another pillar of Singapore's defence against COVID-19, alongside contact tracing, vaccination and safe management measures.

All hotel employees meet the criteria for vaccination, said Mr Tan.

"The objective of us being here today is to motivate all of our frontline staff, especially frontline in the resort - you possess your bellhops ... frontline registration counters, but also the trunk end, our housekeeping, our kitchen staff. All of them are eligible," he said.

"We wish to do this because you want to protect them because they're at the frontlines. It is also a critical area which you want to safeguard and it's a crucial trip towards reopening our market and our tourism sector."

President of the Singapore Resort Association Kwee Wei-Lin said the association expectations that the vaccination might "help recreate some normalcy" to the resort industry. 

Apart from employees of resorts designated as stay-home conveniences, personnel from other hotels as well touch travellers to arrive via the reciprocal green lane and flights lane, said Ms Kwee. 

"We do hope that the vaccinations provides back some self-confidence for our personnel, their wellbeing, their own families, and also also international travellers if they do come back," she explained, adding that international travellers built up 90 % of hotel guests prior to the pandemic.

"Right at this time ... quite a huge number of (our resorts) are SHN establishments, so it is very significant that our personnel as frontliners are safeguarded as well."

A person hotel worker who received the first dose of the vaccination on Thursday was 23-year-good old Aziana Aziman. She gets results the front table at Pan Pacific Singapore and facing a lot of guests everyday compelled her to receive vaccinated for COVID-19.

"I decided to (conduct it) for them aswell as for me. To show that I'm vaccinated and it's all right, I'm ok and I'm nonetheless serving (the friends)," she said.

Mr Edward Chew, a good butler at Shangri-La Singapore, as well received his vaccination on Thursday.

"My job is really such as a roving ambassador, I connect to all our guests. I suppose ... I would come in contact with the virus. (The vaccination) will surely make me feel more comfortable in engaging with my friends. And for them also, when they understand that I include been vaccinated, there is definitely this protection there to greatly help us out," explained the 67-year-old.

"Without the vaccination stuff can go south anytime. With this vaccination you can merely feel more comfortable and reassured."