With the Easter holidays upon us, it is time to gear up and be safe.
Co-director of Ubhejane Tours Mduduzi Ngubane shares some safety protocols you can follow on your road trip, hotel and when dining out.
Road safety
- Tour operators should ensure they have permits to carry people if you’re travelling with a group.
- Vehicles should be roadworthy.
- Tour operators should ensure vehicles and passengers.
- Ensure passengers are wearing masks and observe social distancing.
- Check temperatures before travellers get into the vehicles.
- Provide sanitisers for passengers before they enter the vehicle.
- Ensure there is sufficient space between passengers to observe social distancing.
Hotel safety
- On arrival at a hotel, ensure you are wearing a mask.
- If porters are carrying your bags, ensure their hands are sanitised.
- Sanitise your hands when approaching a reception desk.
- Ensure you provide an emergency contact to the hotel.
- Follow all protocols observed by the hotel.
Dining out
- Instead of wandering into the nearest restaurant with an open sign in the window, spend some time online exploring your options. We live in an age where reviews can tell you exactly what to expect. Look out for feedback that mentions safety protocols and how well they are executed. Check if there is an option for outdoor seating for extra ventilation.
- Secondly, keep your mask on as you enter the restaurant. This is a good time to check out the protocols in action. How is the ventilation, table spacing, and cleanliness?
- Until recently, restaurants had to ask customers to sign in, but this is no longer a requirement. However, there should be sanitising stations on your way to your table, so be sure to use them. When it’s time to pay, most facilities accept cash, but contactless payment is recommended.
- Remember to sanitise your hands after dealing with payments. The waiter should do the same with the card machine.
