Revealed: 7,500+ hotel rooms booked by Govt for Stay-Home Notice persons

We’re talking about entire properties booked out for one- or two-month blocks. A check with one of the hotels reserved by the government revealed that the booking was made through the Singapore Tourism Board, which points towards a swift and organised whole-of-government approach to contain the spread of 

Covid-19 in our community. (Earlier, we wrote about how the URA is coordinating with property developers.)

These are just some of the major hotels that are stepping up for the nation in time of need by providing their properties for SHN:

What the ‘Stay-Home Notice hotels’ told us:

For the hotels in the above list, 99.co can confirm they have been booked out by the government and are unable to take reservations from other guests currently. Some, like Shangri-la Rasa Sentosa Resort and Spa, told us that “our hotel has been requested by the government to provide a dedicated facility for returning guests on Stay-Home Notice” and “will only be available from first of May onwards”, whereas Village Hotel Sentosa told us bookings will reopen from “first of June”.

Despite the government booking up entire properties only up until a certain date, most hotels we spoke to, such as Conrad Centennial Singapore, Pan Pacific Hotel, Village Hotel Albert Court, told us outright that they are not taking any reservations “until further notice”. (FYI: Dining establishments at these hotels remain open to the public, as food for persons serving SHN is catered by an external vendor.)

With more than 200,000 Singaporeans living abroad and the Covid-19 outbreak showing no sign of abating at the time of writing, it’s understandable that we need the volume of accommodation for an indefinite period of time. Even if the global situation improves and border restrictions are lifted, it’s likely that our government will continue to impose SHN on foreign arrivals, given the elusiveness of the coronavirus and the need to play it as safe as possible.

A hotel room at Parkroyal Collection Pickering, which is being used as a designated facility to house Stay-Home Notice (SHN) returnees.

But why so atas?

We know that many Singaporeans have been asking: Why is there a need for the government to spend so much money for hotel rooms to house those who are issued with a Stay-Home Notice? Why can’t we just house them in dormitories, chalets, army camps and even vacant HDB units?

Before you question the need to spend millions of taxpayer money on hotels for SHN, here’s the reasons why we think the government is doing the right thing:

Frankly, there not a lot of places that are able to provide the volume of accommodation that hotels do. There are no HDB blocks that are vacant on a scale that can house the sheer number of returnees, and even if there is, an HDB block typically only has, on average, about 150 units. And most of them are in 3- or 4-room configurations, not ideal for one-person isolation.

Furthermore, unlike other residential facilities, hotels already have a network of CCTVs in common areas, as well as a team of security personnel, that can be used to spot any breach of the Stay-Home Notice.

[Recommended article: How the Resilience Package could help the SG property market]

Looking after thousands of people serving Stay-Home Notices can be a logistical nightmare. And the stakes are so high that we cannot afford to slip up.

Hotels come with a ready team of staff, who’ve been trained to high standards for ensuring the well-being of guests, with the vital camaraderie of working as a huge team and a wealth of experience under their belts when it comes to deep cleaning and disinfecting procedures, as well as handling of contingency and emergency situations.

Housing SHN returnees in hotels, government personnel can focus on monitoring their health status without having to tend to personal needs like getting them another blanket or fixing a faulty light bulb—the hotel has those things covered.

Even in the middle of a crisis, public image is vital. Not only has the Singapore government long been known for putting our best foot forward, be it in public housing or healthcare or tourism, it also knows the value in doing so.

Already, we have reports of SHN returnees documenting their time of serving the Stay-Home Notice on social media. Every positive experience is an endorsement of our country for potential visitors. And when Covid-19 does eventually blow over, the good impressions we’ve left will position us well for a recovery.

Imagine having to be alone in a confined space for two whole weeks. Even with your smartphone and gadgets, your sanity will be sorely tested just a few days into confinement. A well-appointed hotel room makes the best out of a challenging situation. It’s the most humane thing next to the high-risk move of isolating returnees at home.

Isolation is the name of the game here, and just as well that hotels are typically located far from the population centres of Singapore: the HDB heartlands. The risk of community spread is further reduced by accommodating returnees in locations such as Marina Bay and Tanjong Pagar for their stay home notice.

As we all know, tourism is dead for the time being. Hotels are facing dark times and their staff are worried about their livelihoods as occupancy drops to zero or near zero. So, a contract with the government to provide bulk Stay-Home Notice accommodation is a godsend, and is a move that will potentially safeguard thousands of jobs in the industry and directly boost the economy, in addition to the recently announced Resilience Package.