KUALA LUMPUR – Some of the city’s most famous fine-dining restaurants in the Golden Triangle have been closed for sanitisation following the detection of at least one Covid-19 case.
However, employees and hospitality trainees said they are in the dark over the matter.
The staff members and students said they are concerned about the health of hundreds of patrons, including hotel guests, who had been in the vicinity in recent weeks, especially those who visited during the busy Christmas weekend.
On Saturday, The Starhill Dining, which houses six fine-dining outlets, in Bukit Bintang announced on its Facebook page that its premises is temporarily closed for a “comprehensive sanitisation programme”.
“This is part of our precautionary measures as the safety and well-being of our guests and associates is our top priority.
“We thank you for your kind understanding and support, and we look forward to welcoming you back to The Starhill Dining soon.”
Although the post said the cleaning process is merely a precautionary measure, workers and trainees of the dining hub alleged otherwise.
They claimed that the management has been sluggish in taking drastic measures, such as shutting the outlets earlier and vacating nearby five-star hotels – JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton – to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
On Friday, a YTL International College of Hotel Management trainee, who is said to have contracted Covid-19, alleged that college management did not take necessary action.
“The hotel is operating as usual, and the college is not announcing it (cases) as they should. They are hiding my case,” the trainee said in a Facebook post on a private group called YTL ICHM Confession 2020 that was sighted by The Vibes.
The unidentified trainee said there have been a few confirmed cases in the hotels, but the industrial placement for the students has not been delayed.
“I am writing this to warn those of you who are undergoing IP (industrial placement), especially in red zones like KL, because the college won’t (warn you),” the post read. It has since been taken down by administrators.
Another trainee, who contacted The Vibes, said at least 500 people had stayed at one of the hotels there, but were not notified of the Covid-19 cases.
“The hotels still remained open for two or three days after being notified of (Covid-19) cases there, and staff members were still required to work.
“They should have cancelled bookings, but the place (hotel) was packed over the weekend.”
The trainee said there were between 150 and 160 rooms booked in one of the hotels during the long Christmas break, accommodating up to 500 guests.
Meanwhile, YTL Hotel told The Vibes in an email that it was informed of a suspected Covid-19 case on December 26 at The Starhill Dining before it took “immediate action in accordance with protocols and standard operating procedures”.
Its marketing and communications director, Jessica Yong, said the dining hub was immediately closed for comprehensive cleaning, disinfection and sanitisation carried out by Ecolab – the hotel’s appointed global partner in hygiene and infection protection solutions and services.
She said the case was reported to the National Security Council, adding that management is giving its full cooperation to the Health Ministry for contact tracing and testing.
“As part of our heightened precautionary measures, we are sending our associates for testing to ensure their safety and well-being, as well as that of the community at large.
“We assure all patrons and associates that the handling of this case is in accordance with Health Ministry guidelines, and that we are working closely with health authorities.”
She added that The Starhill Dining practises rigorous cleaning protocols and adheres to strict sanitisation standards.
“We are committed to ensuring that the health and safety of our patrons and associates remains our top priority and we will keep them informed of any developments.” – The Vibes, December 28, 2020
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