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Covid-19 Plan

Covid-19 Plan for Villa Ranguana, Placencia Belize

Villa Ranguana is situated on 5 acres with 350ft of private beach, ½ mile north of Placencia airstrip. The 6800 sq ft villa features extensive open-air covered verandas, kitchen, dining and living space, a private pool and 4 master suites each with full bath. The villa can only be rented as an entire unit to a single travel group – the rooms are not rented individually. Villa Ranguana staff stock groceries in advance or during the stay as required by the guests who prefer to cook meals themselves. In addition, Villa Ranguana staff can offer chef services for meals when desired. Swimming, sailing, and snorkeling are available on site, utilizing the private pool and beach. There is plenty of space for relaxing and exploring the 5 acres of gardens that include mango and other fruit trees.

Villa Ranguana, BTB license number: HOT01464, been licensed in good standing for 10+yrs

Contact details: villaranguana@gmail.com ; +1 (415) 413.8492, in Belize (501) 523-4306

Website: VillaRanguana.com Property Manager: Stan Smith  alternate: Mary Smith On-site host: Albert Hun

Tourism Gold Standard Program

  1. Gold Standard Program Manager: Stan Smith

Program Manager responsibilities:

  • Develop and implement the health and safety plan for the property
  • Ensure that all employees receive adequate training in carrying out the new protocols
  • Conduct regular spot checks throughout the property and observe that protocols are being enforced
  • Serve as the main point of contact for all health & safety issues, employee and guest complaints; document and investigate all complaints

Gold standard training were completed as follows:

  • Tourism Gold Standard Program Manager Training: July 4th
  • Gold Standard Protocols: July 4th
  • Cleaning Guidelines for Tourism Gold Standard Certification: July 21st
  • Housekeeping, Laundry & Front of House Guidelines for Tourism Gold Standard: July 22nd
  • How to handle a suspected case of COVID-19 among guests and staff: July 24th
  1. Monitoring and reporting:

Villa Ranguana will use the standard logs provided by the BTB (Attachment B)

Villa Ranguana will conduct non-invasive temperature checks (infrared thermometer) of all individuals entering the property.

  • Employees – conducted and logged twice daily.
  • Guests – conducted and logged for each guest upon arrival
  • Vendors, suppliers & contractors – conducted and logged upon arrival

Employees have been trained to observe and monitor the symptoms of Covid-19.

Employees with a temperature above 100.0°F will not be allowed entry to the property and will be directed towards appropriate medical care.

Vendors, suppliers and contractors who refuse a temperature check will be denied entry to the property, and any individual confirmed to have a temperature over 100.0°F will be directed towards appropriate medical care.

Guests displaying a temperature over 100.0°F will be taken to a private area for a secondary temporal temperature screening. Those confirmed to have a temperature over 100.0°F will be treated as specified in the response plan (item V) including appropriate reporting through the Tourism Health Information System (ThiS).

As the Villa only accommodates a single travel group who eat all meals together at the Villa eating area and kitchen, there is no need for a separate restaurant seating log.

  1. Social Distancing protocols: Villa Ranguana is only rented as an entire unit to a single travel group thereby minimizing the need for social distancing requirements between guests. Social distancing between guests and managers/employees will be observed. Managers/Employees will wear appropriate PPE at all times while on property.

  1. Enhanced cleaning: Villa Ranguana provides daily maid service and will utilize the standard cleaning logs provided by the BTB (see Attachment B). Villa Ranguana follows the 3-Tiered Recommended Cleaning Guidelines provided by the BTB (Attachment C).
  1. Response plan:

When any employee, guest, or tenant is suspected of having COVID-19, a temperature check will be conducted and logged. Any individual displaying a temperature over 100.0°F will be taken to a private area for a secondary temporal temperature screening. Those confirmed to have a temperature over 100.0°F will be quarantined:

  • Guest will be quarantined in their rooms.
  • Staff will be quarantined in their room in the staff accommodation.  

Dr. Alexis Caballero of Placencia Medical Services (501 622-7648, clinic 501-503-3326) will be contacted and consulted regarding administering of care and a test as needed.

  • Stan Smith is Program Manager, cell phone: 628-1971
  • Positive cases would not be moved unless they are required to be hospitalized.
  • Positive cases will be reported to the Belize Ministry of Health, appropriate Embassy/Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the BTB and the Tourism Health Information System (ThiS).
  • Villa Ranguana staff with appropriate PPE are available on site to provide care (food and drink, regular cleaning, other supplies as necessary).
  • Given Villa Ranguana is only rented to a single Travel group, other members of the travel group will be given the option to stay in their separate rooms during the recovery of the infected guest, or to return home as preferred.
  • If hospitalization is required, the guest will be transported/transferred to Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga for treatment after consulting with MOH.
  • Villa Ranguana Program Manager will work with MOH to assist with contact tracing as deemed necessary.
  • If a case of COVID-19 is identified, cleaning procedures from the BTB supplied 3-Tiered Recommended Cleaning Guidelines will be followed (see attachment C), during and after the infected guest stay.
  • The guest room will not be returned to service until the case has been confirmed or cleared. In the event of a positive case, the room will only be returned to service after undergoing a thorough sanitization and disinfection by a licensed third-party expert.
  1. Communication: Allconfirmed villa guests receive an electronic letter (see attachment F) based on the recommended BTB template which outlines Belize policies regarding Covid-19 requirements. In addition this Covid-19 plan is made available to all guests on the Villa Ranguana website. Guests who book through VRBO, AirBnB or through our website VillaRanguana.com each receive the same confirmation letter including the link to the Villa Ranguana Covid Plan.
  1. Sanitizing Station: Villa Ranguana provides a sanitizing station near the entry of the property which includes running water, soap, and alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  1. Payment Technology: All guests pay for their stay electronically before arrival through VillaRanguana.com, VRBO or AirBnB. Additional charges for grocery or private chef services are billed and paid through electronic invoice using Stripe technology. (example provided as attachment D).
  1. Training Plan: Villa Ranguana has provided and logged training using BTB training materials and logs (attachment E, B). Villa Ranguana is a small property only serving small groups. Training for Villa Ranguana Program manager, alternate and all staff has been completed.

If guests would like to see attachments please just email us at villaranguana@gmail.com

Attachment A: TGS Application

Attachment B: Monitoring and Reporting Logs

Attachment C: 3-Tiered Recommended Cleaning Guidance provided by the BTB (pp 27-44)

Attachment D: Example invoice for grocery/chef services.

Attachment E: Training materials for Villa Ranguana staff

Attachment F: Covid-19 Letter to Confirmed Villa Guests.

Dear Villa Guests,

Thank you for booking your stay with Villa Ranguana!

We are an approved, Gold Standard hotel and we look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful country.   Belize has implemented enhanced health and safety protocols to protect you and ensure that you’ll enjoy your vacation.

The following are some guidelines to help you prepare for your trip and know what to expect when you arrive in Belize.

Before Your Visit

  • Download the Belize Health App and complete the required information prior to boarding the flight to Belize. A QR code with a unique ID number will be returned to you, and will be used for contact tracing while in Belize.
  • We encourage you to take a Covid-19 PCR test within 72 hours of travel to Belize, as a negative result will allow for a ‘fast track’ arrival process. 

On Arrival in Belize:

  • You will disembark the plane – wearing a face mask – and proceed to health screening.
  • If you brought along your negative COVID-19 PCR test, you will proceed to the ‘fast track’ lane for Immigration & Customs processing.  Depending on your health screening, you may be randomly selected for secondary testing. 
  • If you were unable to bring the results of a PCR test, you must proceed to the testing area where you’ll be required to take a COVID rapid test. Testing is at the passengers’ expense and costs US$50.00.  Test results may take approximately 15 to 30 minutes to be processed.  
  • A negative test result will allow for you to enter into the Immigration and Customs area for processing. 
  • If your test result is positive, health officials will isolate you and you will be transferred to an approved hotel for a minimum 14-day mandatory quarantine, at your expense.  

During your Stay in Belize:

  • While in country facemasks are mandatory in all public spaces, and you’re advised to practice social distancing and proper hand hygiene, to protect yourself and others you come in contact with.
  • During this initial phase, visitors to Belize will remain on the hotel/resort property.  Our property offers full service amenities (kitchen, bar, pool & beach access, and onsite activities), and we’ll also be working to provide a taste of local culture, food and entertainment on-site, so that you can experience the destination and “live like a local”.
  • We want you to see and do as much of the local activities in our beautiful country, during your visit.  Although you won’t be able to explore on your own, we can arrange guided tours for you with our approved Gold Standard Tour Operator.  Please let us know what you’re interested in doing and seeing while in country and we can arrange this for you.  

For more information on the new destination protocols and frequently asked questions, please visit: https://www.travelbelize.org/health-safety 

Thank you for choosing Belize, and we look forward to having you with us!

Warm Regards,

Villa Ranguana Team