| Beaches reopens June 13 after thorough cleaning |
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| Wednesday, 13 June 2012 18:02 | |||
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Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa reopened June 13 after closing to thoroughly clean the resort after nearly 150 guests suffered from some type of gastroenteritis. The country’s largest resort located on Providenciales had announced June 3 that it stopped accepting reservations until June 9 after guests and employees were stricken with a form of gastroenteritis which produces diarrhea and vomiting but is otherwise harmless. The resort later extended the closure until June 13. “Based on information received from both international experts and local health authorities, the resort felt that it was in the best interests of its guests, team members and residents of Turks and Caicos Islands to complete an extensive sterilization program while the resort was completely unoccupied,” the resort said in a June 7 statement explaining the later reopening date. “The comprehensive disinfection includes a complete sterilization of all public areas, complete stripping and sterilizing of all accommodations, sterilizing of all cushions, mattresses and couches, the removal and isolated sterilization of all linen, curtain and drapes as well as the quarantining of all rooms to ensure that no traces of the virus remain,” Beaches said. Beaches said 39 people (1.35 percent) of guests and staff complained of the illness in the week beginning May 21, and 94 people (3.15 percent) reported the symptoms during the following week. Sandals Resorts International CEO Adam Stewart apologized for the inconvenience, saying that all guests booked during the period were compensated and rebooked. Despite the closure, the resort’s staff remained fully employed and received its full base salary, Beaches said. Another Providenciales resort, Grace Bay Club, announced May 24 that it stopped accepting reservations until June 1 to sanitize the resort after the illness was reported among some guests. The cause of all the illnesses has not been determined, but the Ministry of Health has confirmed 10 cases of norovirus among hundreds who reported being ill. The ministry has not said where people might have contracted norovirus. Norovirus can be transmitted from person to person through contact with vomitus or feces of infected individuals, consumption of contaminated food or water, contact with soiled surfaces and bed linens, and other items. Other than supportive therapy, norovirus usually requires little by way of medical intervention and usually resolves without incident. The Ministry of Health said the number of reports is decreasing, but that people should continue “to practice healthy hygienic measures at all times such as frequent hand washing, especially when preparing meals, before eating and after using the toilet.” The ministry asks that anyone who experiences the symptoms to report to any health care facility for evaluation and treatment. People who have been affected by the illness should contact the team at
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or 649-941-8316.
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