Browsing by Author "Beneke, Neno Amurie"

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    The role of hotels in responding to pandemics: a case study of Covid-19 and hotels in Cape Town, South Africa
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Beneke, Neno Amurie; Zweig, Patricia; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Geography and Social Sciences.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global outbreak of an infectious coronavirus caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first cases were recorded in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and spread rapidly across the world, being officially declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. By 4 September 2023, 770 million cases of the virus had been recorded globally, with over 6.9 million confirmed deaths, making it the fifth deadliest pandemic in history. Common measures of response and mitigation during the pandemic included restrictions on travel and business operations, national lockdowns, mask mandates, contact tracing and testing systems as well as quarantine and isolation. Due to the restrictions on movement and travel, many sectors of the economy were significantly affected, among them the tourism industry. The COVID-19 pandemic also significantly challenged health care systems, with many hospital wards and intensive care units quickly becoming overcrowded. This led to a decrease in the quality of care, with patients often denied access to life-saving services. One of the biggest challenges was a lack of adequate state-sanctioned facilities for those needing to quarantine or isolate to reduce the exposure of other people to the virus. To reduce this risk, many hotels and other tourism facilities were adapted for use as isolation and quarantine facilities. In South Africa, a state of disaster was declared in accordance with the Disaster Management Act (Act 57/2002) on 23 March 2020, imposing a nationwide lockdown as a risk reduction measure, severely restricting movement and travel.When 114 South Africans living inWuhan, China were repatriated to South Africa in March 2020, they were quarantined in an isolated hotel in Limpopo for 14 days. This was the first time a hotel was used for such purposes in South Africa during the pandemic. By 30 August 2023, the country had recorded over four million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 102 000 deaths. The study sought to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the travel industry, specifically how hotel operations changed in 2020 when the pandemic was at its peak, becoming part of the response effort. In a case study of five hotels in Cape Town, South Africa, the research investigated what motivated them to become quarantine and/or isolation facilities and how they achieved this, noting the challenges they encountered, and lessons learned. It was found that globally many hotels were quickly and successfully converted into facilities for quarantine, isolation, and other medical purposes, reducing the pressure on public health institutions, while also assisting in surveillance, tracing, screening, and disseminating information. Detailing the experiences of management staff working in a sample of Cape Town hotels that adapted during the pandemic, the study explored the lived experiences of being part of the response and helping to reduce the risk of disease spread. Drawing on the findings, recommendations are made suggesting how hotels might be better prepared and respond more effectively in any future such health emergencies.