The Tsubaki Tower, the newest luxury hotel in Tumon, has been stricken with Covid-19 amid the visitor industry’s preparations for the tentative reopening of Guam tourism on May 1.
The hotel management reported today that some of its employees have tested positive for Covid-19, prompting the temporary closure of its restaurants.
Casa Oceano, a buffet restaurant, and Milano Grill will pause their operations until April 26, according to the management.
“The affected employees are in isolation and contact tracing is in progress,” Ken Yanagisawa, the hotel’s general manager, said in an April 20 letter to its customers.
It was not known as of this writing how many employees were affected.
The Joint Information Center today reported five new positive cases that were identified out of 414 Covid tests performed on Monday. It was not clear if some of the hotel employees were among the newly reported cases.
JIC said one case reported recent travel history and was identified in quarantine. One case was identified through contact tracing.
On Monday, JIC reported 10 new positive cases identified out of 832 tests performed by DPHSS on Sunday and tests from additional labs from Friday.
To date, Guam’s total 7,884 officially reported cases of Covid-19 with 136 deaths, 49 cases in active isolation, and 7,699 not in active isolation. The CAR Score is 0.5.
Yanagisawa said the hotel management is working with the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services and the Guam Hotel and Restaurant to ensure the safety of its guests and team members.
The guestrooms, Hinekka Deli, infinity pool and Nunu Bar are still open “with an abundance of cautions,” Yanagisawa said.
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“Our of care for our guests and team members, The Tsubaki Tower will undergo a thorough cleaning and sanitation to meet all (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) and Guam Department of Public Health guidelines,” the letter reads.
“The safety of our guests and our team members is our top priority and look forward to reopening once this process has been completed.”
The 340-room luxury hotel, designed to target the high-end market, officially opened its doors on July 1 last year.
The $180-million luxury resort is owned by PHR Ken Micronesia.
In the absence of tourists, The Tsubaki Tower has been tapping the local market, offering significant staycation discounts that appeal to the local residents.
While Guam remains in Pandemic Condition of Readiness 3, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero has eased some restrictions since Saturday.
Restaurants and bars are now permitted to operate at 75 percent capacity.
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