Fear and uncertainty – the contemporary issue
Based on World Health Organisation, international virology experts’ opinions, we observed that people are intimidated to a large extent due to uncertainty, lack of confidence, differing information on what the virus is, how it spreads, what to do and so on. As such, we are sharing information not only with our staff but also guests and colleagues. A pleasant fact is that today, over three hours, clients took home from SPA Vilnius common spaces three bottles of disinfectant liquid. We hope that this will help us, a company, which is particularly focused on social responsibility, achieve our goals, however at the same time we view this as our clients’ concern with the situation, emotionality and potentially insufficient access to measures in the country.
We can achieve more by acting together
In consideration of the mass of different information on public information channels, it is crucial to remain calm and view the situation rationally, which always allows achieving more successful results. We believe that SPA Vilnius’ decision to contribute to ensuring preventative measures, sharing information and a real action plan will reach not only our staff but also our guests and relatives, family members, friends and so on.
In order to react to the newest information, in every department, we have appointed responsible individuals, who follow World Health Organisation reports and share them with the team. We have reviewed our team regarding prior or future travel abroad, extending durations to 3 weeks, however also planning alongside them future travel and potential risks, if it exists. We understand that the real threat today is very small, however, we believe that preventative measures are definitely not meaningless.
At the moment, we know and can confirm to our guests that no employee of SPA Vilnius has been in any of countries identified as higher risk by the WHO within even three weeks and had no contact with potentially infected individuals.
We view our work specifics with especial responsibility and have agreed with our staff to adhere to the recommendations to avoid mass gathering locations preventatively, also asked to inform about participation in the Friday basketball game, which we believe will help avoid risk. Those who decide to participate in the nearing event, we proposed for them to abstain from work for a few weeks due to the unusually high chance of meeting virus carriers if they are present.
Hygiene – from meeting to departure
Constant airing of premises, use of disinfectants on the premises, tabletops, door handles and handholds in order to avoid bacteria is typical practice at SPA Vilnius hotels and spas, however, to reduce risks further, based on some of the most strict 293-page long cruise ship infection control recommendations, we have increased the frequency of preventative procedures from 5 to 12 times a day. Also, we have ensured measures in sufficient quantities so that our guests and employees, who are in closed spaces at SPA Vilnius could immediately make use of disinfectant materials, thus further decreasing the likelihood of any viral transmission.
Ensuring restaurant food quality
In our restaurants in Druskininkai and Anykščiai, we have reviewed our food suppliers, strictly reviewed the places of origin for our animal-based products. In order to ensure that food has without any doubt reached necessary temperatures during preparation, we have doubled the food preparation and serving temperature monitoring standard.
We know that the virus has various forms and approaches; thus we seek to strengthen the immune systems of our staff and guests, hoping that this will further reduce risks of infection or illness through a severe form of the virus.
We agree with specialist positions that at the moment, travel should be limited to some areas of the world and Lithuania’s decision to preventatively declare a state of emergency will help faster implement all preventative measures across the country, as well as help maintain the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus in Lithuania at the same, unusually low-risk level. Through joint efforts, we can create a safe environment and Lithuania’s geographical location, which is sometimes described as distant, can serve as a major advantage.
Cooperation is key, thus we earnestly believe that our and others’ good practices will help quickly create a preventative basis to ensure a safe environment for ourselves and our close ones.
