Is it safe to stay in a hotel during COVID?

After staying indoors for about three months, now people are slowly getting out. The restrictions have been eased and with that, public places and some modes of transportation have gradually started functioning again with some precautionary measures. People have also started travelling to different cities for work and other purposes and it is natural to worry about the safety of staying at a hotel at this point.
How safe is it to stay in a hotel?
A hotel is a busy place, where people from across cities come and stay. In such a condition, the chances of coming in contact with the virus becomes quite high. As we all know that coronavirus spreads by coming in contact with the respiratory droplet of an infected person, hence it is important to maintain the distance of six feet from other people. You may be able to maintain a safe distance when you are in your room, but it would be impossible to follow the same when you are in the hotel's lobby or restaurant.

Other issues with hotels are housekeeping. Multiple people have access to your room and whenever someone comes in your room, there are high chances that they would bring germs from outside.
Thirdly, you don't know who stayed in that room before you and if they had any infection or not. This also increases your chances of coming in contact with the virus.

Your safety is in your hands
As per the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you should stay at home and avoid travelling if you can. In case it is not possible then remember that your safety is in your own hands. Indeed the hotel management would be taking necessary steps to keep the area clean and ensure its customer's safety, but here are a few things you can do:

Always wear a mask and clean your hand regularly after touching any contaminated surface or before eating.

Bring disinfectant with yourself. As soon as you enter your room, clean the commonly touched area like faucet and doorknob with it.

Be mindful before touching anything outside your hotel room like the elevator button. Clean your hands after doing so and avoid touching your face, mouth and nose with the dirty hands.

Opt for cleaning of the room only once in a day. This way fewer people will come to your room.

Rather than eating in the restaurant, eat your food in your room. You will come in contact with fewer people.

The best is to observe the hotel staff while they are cleaning. You will get a fair idea of how seriously the hotel management is taking the pandemic.

Rather than experimenting with a new hotel, we advise you to book a room in a trusted one, where you have stayed earlier.