Social Distancing in Hospitality Sector, A big Ask to Follow

The coronavirus pandemic has brought about so many new facets to our lives that none of us would have ever imagined could ever happen. It will be a while before any of us are able to live a social life as we used to prior to the advent of the pandemic. Social distancing will be the new norm now and face masks a compulsory rule. Our way of life is now going to be completely redefined, whether we like it or not. The fear psychosis that has now entered deep inside the minds and hearts of people will be very hard to get rid of until and unless this virus is completely eradicated, or a suitable vaccine is found that will make us completely immune to it. The contagiousness of this virus is one that is unprecedented for the mankind, and its true potent lines not in how many of humans it has been able to kill but in making our lives paralysed, forcing us indoors and bringing the world to a grinding halt. There are several industries whose face will completely change because of this pandemic and the changes it has already started to bring to our lives. One such industry is the Hospitality industry, employing millions of people across the world, this industry is the sole earner for many of the smaller countries of the world. Since the time the pandemic broke out, the dangers of coming in contact with people from different parts of the world in a small place has been much accentuated. Hence it becomes obvious that in the short term, the majority of the world population would most probably avoid a situation where they may come across such an eventuality.

Tourism and hotel business which attracts people from far and wide have become the most impacted amongst all the industrial sectors in the world. When the pandemic first seeped out of Wuhan, it made the highly popular tourist destinations of Europe its second home and in no time, Italy became the new epicentre of the pandemic. The pandemic spread through the other popular tourist destinations in the continent and made Spain, Germany, France, Portugal, and the United Kingdom its subsequent victims. The ease with which a few Chinese tourists could bring a full city to a standstill was astonishing and forced many to relook at their social practices which promoted a hospitable attitude and behaviour towards foreigners to maximise economic returns. There are several businesses in these countries who would now find it very difficult to continue with the same business practices that they had practised till now. These countries and the highly popular tourist spots, in particular, will now struggle to innovate new ways to turn around the current slump and bring back tourists in droves while still being able to protect the local population, as well as the tourists themselves from lethal pathogens that some may be carrying in them.

The current state of affairs after the world has been ravaged by the pandemic for last more than four months now is that social distancing is a must, at least into the short-term future. While the lockdown conditions imposed by many countries post the arrival of the pandemic at their shores, has helped to contain its ferocity to a large extent, but there are no signs that it is anywhere near being completely contained. The lockdown forced people to follow social distancing, which can largely be credited for the above achievement. But it is not possible to continue with the lockdown conditions for a long time, as it is causing massive economic damages the world over. Realising this fact, several countries are now forced to reopen their economies while the pandemic is nowhere near the containment let alone a slope down. The biggest risk thus most of these countries will face will be a resurgence of the pandemic, which would be far more catastrophic than what it is right now. The hospitality industry thus is a major risk factor for any country, if it decides to open up its economy and allow people from different regions to congregate at different places of the country.

On the same time, the suggestion that the hospitality industry may be opened with appropriate social distancing protocols is impractical. Even if the industry operated with half its staff and its guests maintaining two metres distance from each other, the industry would not be able to meet its costs. There are also several other tourism-related activities that would not be able to provide because of the social distancing measures. Sightseeing, pubs, restaurants are some of the highest grossing activities in the larger tourism industry. Should these activities be stopped from the offer, there would be few people who would be interested to visit these destinations.

It is highly likely that the social distancing measures being proposed everywhere could spell doom for the Hospitality industry. It needs to be mentioned here that the cruise ship industry was the first to be hit badly when the pandemic first raised its head in China, with several ships reporting hundreds of infected cases on board. There are still several such ships that are stranded in high seas waiting for permissions from ports to allow their passengers to disembark for fear of the virus. Post these incidents many of the cruise ship companies have already declared that they would not be restarting their operations for a long time.

One thing also needs to be mentioned here that given the economic conditions that the world is now in, many people will try to avoid leisure activities altogether. Social distancing or no social distancing the hospitality industry will find it very tough to attract people in at least the short to medium term. The businesses in this industry face the maximum risk of going bankrupt, and the people working in it are at a heightened risk of losing their jobs. It is important that a vaccine is found at the earliest if the world has to get back at its feet and gain back its way of life. Till that is achieved, the conditions will be difficult not only for the hospitality industry but for every industry.