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Raja Ampat's Misool Eco Resort closes doors until September
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the secluded Misool Eco Resort in the West Papuan regency of Raja Ampat to shut its operations until Sept. 25.
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The island where Misool Eco Resort is located is currently on lockdown until at least April 21. (Secret Retreats/File)
T
he COVID-19 pandemic has forced secluded resort and conservation center Misool Eco Resort in the West Papuan regency of Raja Ampat to shut its operations until Sept. 25.
According to a statement, the move was made following instructions from Sorong Mayor Lambert Jitmau on March 17 to suspend sales of domestic airline tickets for foreign travelers wanting to visit Sorong.
The island where the resort is located in the southern part of the regency is currently on lockdown until at least April 21. “That means no one can come to the island and no one can leave,” said the management in the statement, adding that around 80 members of the resort staff would remain on the island during the period.
Read also: COVID-19: At least 1,266 hotels in Indonesia have closed
With 250 employees, Misool Eco Resort has had to get creative during the lockdown by teaching its staff new skills and utilizing natural resources.
Some of them are learning to bend iron, make orange juice, create mooring lines from rope, transform sea water into safe drinking water, use solar power and plant vegetables such as bok choy and water spinach.
“Our rangers continue patrolling the Misool Marine Reserve, our coral farmers keep working on our Reef Restoration Project and Bank Sampah [Garbage Bank] keeps intercepting ocean-bound plastics.”
In order to protect the staff from the disease, the majority of the resort’s staff at the Sorong office are working from home, while service staff have been on leave since March 31.
The resort routinely disinfects its grounds, with doorknobs, light switches and handrails cleaned regularly. It also has a nurse on site and built hand-washing stations in areas where running water is hard to find.
Especially popular among foreign travelers, Misool Eco Resort takes conservation seriously and has its own nonprofit foundation that aims to protect the South Raja Ampat reef system and marine life. (wir/kes)
