We care about your Health

TRAVELER INFORMATION – COVID-19

Dear Guests,

We are very excited to announce that we are open! WE and all Santa Catalina cannot wait to welcome you back. As we await your arrival and in light of a new normal, we’d like to keep you informed of how we are responding to the situation brought on by COVID-19. We are committed to provide the safest, most clean and comfortable environment to our guests and team members; always following the guidelines stipulated by MINSA (National Health Authority), other local government entities and implementing our own measures as well to prevent and protect against Covid-19 spread.

Direct Contact

If you need help, or have any questions regarding reservation or safety procedure in the hotel, please contact us by phone:
+507 6571-4387 / + 507 6983-3834 or email: hotelcatalinapanama@gmail.com

Helpful Information

For important information about entering the country and also airline guidelines visit the following links:

https://www.visitpanama.com/information/travel-guidelines/

https://www.copaair.com/en/web/gs/coronavirus-updates

GENERAL SAFETY MEASURES:

We are taking many preventative measures to mitigate the chance of spreading COVID-19. These measures include but are not limited to:

• All employees are familiar with these measures and guidelines, but as requested by MINSA and MITRADEL (Labour Development), we have created a special hygiene and health committee for the prevention and control of Covid-19. Our committee has been trained on a Covid-19 management plan and will oversee that all protocols are followed.

• It is mandatory for all our guests and employees to wear a face mask once they enter our premises. *For children under the age of two face masks are not mandated.

• All guests, visitors and staff must disinfect their footwear before entering the hotel, restaurant and workplaces respectively. Main entrances are equipped with shoe sanitizing mats.

• Signs have been installed throughout the common areas to remind customers to practice social distancing 2 meters apart (6-feet), hand washing, and use of the mask. We expect all our guests to comply with these preventive measures.

• Hand sanitization containers have been installed in all common areas (reception, restaurant, yoga studio and halls of the cabins).

• Floor markers have been placed at the entrance of reception and restaurant to inform guests to practice proper social distancing guidelines where applicable.

• Increased frequency of cleaning and disinfection of exposed surfaces such as door handles, countertops and so on with disinfecting products recommended by MINSA.

• Third parties entering the hotel are being strictly supervised and informed to exercise social distancing, to wear a mask and practice good hygiene.

• Although we accept cash, we kindly encourage our guests to fulfill payments through bank transfers (local banks) and credit cards. Also to request bills, invoices and receipts to be sent by email.

• A maximum of 6 people are allowed in the adult pool at any given time. Same number in the kids pool.

• Please keep in mind that our hotel and restaurant layout have ample space for your comfort and this is also an advantage for the covid-19 distancing protocol required.

STAFF

• Each member of the hotel and restaurant staff strictly adheres to the basic protection measures against COVID-19.

• Employees must stay home in case of illness and seek medical assistance.

• All our employees are supplied with the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), in accordance with the special instructions of MINSA.

• Shaking hands and close physical contact are not allowed, keeping a distance of at least two meters from coworkers, guests or third parties in all workplaces, hotel rooms and rest areas.

• Requiring staff to wash hands regularly with soap and water, avoid touching their face and the front of the mask or face shield and encouraged to comply with good personal and respiratory hygiene practices (mouth covering during coughing or sneezing, etc.).

Reception & Check-in Procedure

• Check-in takes place individually, with the number of people limited to one from one booking.

• Disposable masks are available at the reception. We encourage our guests to bring their own masks, but we can provide one if you need an extra one.

• The reception surfaces like desk, payment terminals and room keys are disinfected on a regular basis and will be disinfected after each check-in. The reception area is disinfected once a day with a nebulizer using a high quality disinfectant solution certified by MINSA.

• Maximum number of guests staying in the reception office is limited to 2 people.

Restaurant

• Guests must disinfect their hands at the entrance before taking place at their table. 

• Our restaurant has plenty of ventilation since it is open and very spacious.

• Maximum of 6 persons may sit at the table of the same household.

• Guests are allowed to sit at the bar, always practicing social distancing.

• Tables in the restaurant are placed at least 2 meters away from each other.

• All restaurant employees will be required to wash their hands regularly, in line with the guidelines set out by MINSA.

• Having the menu displayed on a board to avoid contact. If there is any printed menu, they will be disinfected before and after handing it to our guests.

• Goods are received by a specific member of staff who is always required to wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering the kitchen.

• Practice distancing by spacing chairs on the pool deck 2 meters (6-feet) apart, restricting big groups and/or crowds of 10 or more, etc.

HOUSEKEEPING ROOM DISINFECTION

Our rooms have always been cleaned to the highest level. However, we have added extra procedures to increase those levels. We have adopted a nebulizer that eliminates all germs from the room using the most high quality environmentally friendly product approved and certified by MINSA. For the safety of our employees, this nebulizer is used each time a room checks out before they start the cleaning process and again after rooms are cleaned before next check-in. Nobody can enter the room until the next guest that will occupy the
room.

• Housekeeping services will not be provided during a guest’s stay unless otherwise requested by the guest. Housekeeping staff will only enter rooms after explicit permission of the guest and when the guest is not in the room in order to minimize contact.

• Complete disinfection of furniture and equipment in the room, in particular high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, toilet handles, window slides, light switches, TV with remote control and so on. Thoroughly disinfection of the bathroom is carried out as well.

• The bedding is changed according to safety standards.

• Room ventilation is applied during the period between stays.

Log Book

• The hotel keeps a logbook of the daily important actions and measures carried out in response to Covid-19 by the staff in compliance with the recommendations given by MINSA and MITRADEL. 

• We keep a record of staff members and all guests staying at the hotel (name, nationality, date of arrival and departure, contact details such as address, telephone, e-mail), so that it is possible to track all the people in case they came in close contact with an identified Covid-19 case.

Environmental Measures

• Workplaces and rooms are adequately ventilated and air conditioning systems are regularly maintained.

• Using antimicrobial cleaners with extremely low toxicity and long term effectiveness such as vital-oxide that produces no harmful by-products for the environment. This ecological choice contains no ozone harming VOC’s and has the NSF EPA International certification for Food Contact surfaces.

• A special waste bin has been built, where all disposable Personal Protective Equipment or other means used to disinfect work surfaces can be disposed of immediately after use.