Today, Minister of Information, Melford Nicholas, applauded Hodges Bay Resort and Spa for helping stem the spread of COVID-19.
“There had been some buzz on social media because there were some yellow stickers in places on the fence at the Hodges Bay Club,” Hurst said during a post-Cabinet press conference.
Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister, Lionel Hurst, said tourists had decided to stay on at the hotel soon after Covid-19 was declared a pandemic and trust in the safety and security of Antigua and Barbuda.
“As it turns out, several of their guests determined that they would rather remain in Antigua than get on a crowded aircraft to fly back to the United States and the United Kingdom, fearful that they would become infected.”
Hodes Bay Resort has created the first Bio-Safety Zone in the region, essentially locking down the entire resort compound to any external interaction, with all guests and staff remaining on the property 24×7 creating what may be one of the safest places anywhere for SARS-CoV-2 safety.
“These guests also have the benefit of a number of staff members who have determined that they would live at the hotel so that they are not even exposed to members of their families. As a consequence, the guests and the hotel staff are living in the same compound under the same rules governing social distancing,” Hurst explained.
The goal of the Hodges Bay Resort Bio-Safety zone is to speed the time in which Antigua can open up again for business, while as the same time protecting guests, continuing to employee workers, and keeping the residents of Antigua safge. We reached out to Hodges Bay for comment, but they were not immediately available at the time of writing. We will update this story as more information becomes available.
