ASSESSMENT OF HOTEL INDUSTRY WORKERS’ KNOWLEDGE ON PROTOCOLS OF BIOSAFETY INVOLVING SARS-COV-2 IN THE PROVINCE OF TUNGURAHUA

Abstract

The effects of the new disease called coronavirus [COVID-19] caused by SARS-CoV-2 has generated uncertainty in all work areas, and among the most affected is tourism - hotel activity. For this reason, the objective of the study is to assess the level of knowledge and application of biosecurity protocols that workers in the hotel industry have in the province of Tungurahua. In order to achieve this objective a cross-sectional descriptive quantitative investigation was carried out through the application of an instrument validated through the Cronbach coefficient in 77%, which demonstrated consistency in the items used for the study sample that were 87 workers from 211 hotel establishments in the province of Tungurahua. The staff members observed work in different departments: direction and management, reception, maintenance service, restaurant, kitchen, bars, housekeeping, and tourist entertainment. These individuals were chosen through non-probability sampling for convenience technique and the information was collected through the application of a pre-test and post-test for 87 respondents, respectively, that were classified to plan and develop 8 modules that converge in an online training course on hotel biosafety protocols, education, and e-learning. This allowed to strengthen learning and awareness of one of the transversal axes, as it is the security for the reactivation of tourism activity at the local and national level.