Lily Beach Resort & Spa is now a Covid-Ready Gold certified property, administered by Hotel Resilient and verified by the Maldives’ own auditing company, NSURE. Gold Certification status verifies that Lily Beach is following international guidelines, Maldives’ Health Protection Agency guidelines, industry best practices, and the latest scientific research related to the pandemic. To receive this top-ranking credential, Lily Beach had to meet each and every global standard by Hotel Resilient which included enhanced cleaning, risk controls, physical distancing, and response plans.
Since last year, the resort has focused a lot of time, energy, and resources into combatting the pandemic and reducing its negative effects. Several new strategies and policies were put in place, such as the creation of coronavirus-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the formation of a Covid-19 Taskforce, and the hiring of new staff specifically dedicated to Covid-19. New changes brought by the taskforce include creation of sinks made of wood at certain areas of the resort for handwashing, placing hand sanitiser in strategic locations, using the right high quality cleaning materials, and putting up signage both in guest facing and staff facing areas to urge better behaviour to reduce spread of infection such as social distancing in buffet areas etc.
This dedication to safety, coupled with the unique geographic disposition of the Maldives, is the perfect frontline of defence. All resorts are situated on their own islands, accessible only by speedboat or seaplane. They are thus separated from each other, the capital city, and the main airport. This “one-island, one-resort” concept has kept the hospitality industry afloat in these challenging times and strengthened the public health response in the Maldives.
Balancing vacation and fun with health and safety is a unique challenge. Lorenzo, the resident manager of Lily Beach Resort & Spa, says, “All the hard work and effort by staff, as well as our strict following of government rules and regulations, really shines through this Covid-19 Gold Certification. Guests can see first-hand how well we are handling the pandemic and observing global and national guidelines. This is a great success for the resort.”
Lily Beach also turned internally and has been vaccinating staff against Covid-19 since March. Through their #strongertogether campaign, and in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Tourism, and Mahibadhoo Hospital, Lily Beach established a vaccination centre and was able to offer the vaccine to all staff members that wanted to receive it. They even extended services to several other resorts in the South Ari Atoll as well. At this time, 92 per cent of their staff have received at least one dose, with that number projected to increase later this month. Once the vaccination campaign is complete, more than 95 per cent of staff will have finished their first and second dose, and thus be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
* The writer is a public health consultant for Lily Hotels