Health and safety protocol in Covid-19 crisis

August 9, 2020

Arrival

• Private vehicle will be always used for airport transfers exclusively for Thamserku guests.
• When guests arrive at the airport, the guide or representative who receives the guests will maintain a minimum distance of 1 meter from the guests. Guests will not be greeted with handshakes, hugs, flower wreaths or other gestures that cannot keep the necessary distance. Instead, greet the guests with Namaste from distance.
• The guide or representative will wear facemask and hand gloves.
• The guests need to carry their own baggage until parking area.
• We will provide to our guest mask and gloves.

Guide

• The guide accompanying the group has not knowingly been in contact with corona infected persons at least 2 weeks before the arrival of the guests.
• The guide has not been in a high-risk area for at least 2 weeks before the guests arrival.
• The above guidelines also apply to additional local guides such as city guides, trekking guides, porters, cooks and other people who accompany or look after the group.
• We will send our safety and hygiene guidelines to our guides at least 2 weeks before the start of the trip.
• The guides must be trained or must have information about the COVID-19, symptoms and preventions.

Itinerary

• We will minimize the contact of our guests with other people.
• We will avoid itineraries where there is risk of too many people being at the same time.
• In closed rooms guests and guides will wear mouth and nose protection.

Accommodation

• Employees will wear mouth-nose protection.
• Hand disinfectants or hand wash and water will be available at the entrance to the accommodation and the restaurant.
• The check-in should be announced and prepared by the guide or Thamserku representative, the guests only enter the hotel when the check-in is completed. Or they will wait in a separate place.
• Both guests and employees must keep a minimum distance of 1 meter.
• Guests (in accordance with official regulations) must wear mouth-and-nose protection in the general premises.
• Accommodation provider must provide the time slot for every group for the dinner/breakfast
• Rooms will be disinfected before new guest move in.

Meals in accommodation

• Guides or staffs should serve the food to guests and not by the lodge staff.
• A minimum distance of 1 meter will be maintained between the table for our guests and tables for other restaurant visitors.
• Tables for our guests will be reserved in advance. Different time slots must be provided to different companies guests.
• After each group leaving the table, the table needs to be well sanitized before used for another group.
• For tea and coffee, better order flask instead of individual cups.
• Not allow buffet-style picnics during the trip.

Transport

• All vehicles will be disinfected daily.
• Disinfectant will be provided when getting on and off.
• The space next to single travelers remains free; the vehicle size will be adjusted accordingly to the group size and composition.
• A guest always occupies the same place on the same bus in one day.
• Guests, drivers and guides will put on mouth and nose protection while driving.
• Drivers will not have been knowingly in contact with infected persons in the last 2 weeks and not in high-risk areas.
• Gloves must be worn when loading and unloading luggage.
• Spray sanitizer must be made available in all the vehicles to disinfect vehicles. Hand sanitizer for guests.
• Facemask to all the drivers.

Domestic flights

• Wearing protective mask will be mandatory all the time. Any person not wearing mask will not be allowed to enter the airport.
• Face shield (face visor) will be provided to passengers to use during the flight.
• Passengers need to fill “Passenger Declaration Form”.
• Passengers having symptoms of COVID 19 such as fever, fatigue, dry cough, runny nose, breathing difficulties, sore throat are not accepted for the flight.
• Hand sanitizer will be provided to all passengers at check in counter.
• Passengers’ baggage will be disinfected prior to loading
• Passengers will be boarded as per seating arrangement.
• Passengers cannot use the lavatory during the flight.
• Passengers must report two hours before departure time.
• Hand carry baggage not allowed to aircraft cabin, small handbag can be kept with the passenger

Emergency procedures

• If a guest falls ill, the guide will inform us (Thamserku office) immediately.
• In the event of a serious illness, we will inform the guest‘s travel insurance and our Partner to discuss any further steps.
• In case the guest shows any symptoms or tests positive of COVID-19, immediately stop the trip and isolate all the members in the same accommodation. Wait for the test result which takes min. 6 hrs, and if tests positive, evacuate everyone to Kathmandu.
• Take the ill client to HAMS Hospital, the only private hospital in Kathmandu dealing with COVID-19.
• We will ensure to provide the best possible medical care to our guests. The organization of the care of an ill guest will be done in consultation between Thamserku, our Partner and the guest‘s travel insurance.

Travel-Health-Insurance

• Before the trip, the Partner agent will provide all insurance details of the guests (name of the insurance, policy number).
• Guests should name a contact with a phone number that should be notified in an emergency.

Equipment for guides and other supporting staff

• Replacement protective masks
• Disinfectant
• clinical thermometer