Wereda officials have shut down Nexus Hotel for allegedly violating COVID-19 protocols and operating with an expired business license, leaving 200 employees out of work.

The closure comes barely a week after the announcement that a businesswoman had acquired the hotel for 740 million Br. The four-star Nexus Hotel, located in the Gerji Mebrat Hail area with 150 rooms, was bought by Tiliksew Gedamu, owner of the Grand Resort & Spa in Bahir Dar.

The closure was sudden; city officials and police officers abruptly entered the property in the late afternoon on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, and ordered the building evacuated within 10 minutes, according to staff members in the Hotel. There were no arrangements made on the part of officials to relocate the guests, and several left belongings behind due to the rush, said the staff. They have since had their property returned to them.

A meeting of 100 people was on when officials gave the unexpected order, and guests booked in 40 rooms were forced to vacate the property unceremoniously.

"They didn't have a warrant," a staff member told Fortune.

A security officer at Nexus told Fortunethat the incident happened quickly, and officials refused to show their identification when they entered the Hotel's premises.

The Hotel's management, which sees an average monthly turnover of 10 million Br, claims that all COVID-19 protocols were complied with, and their license is valid for the year, the latter Fortune has confirmed.

Selamawit Alemayehu, deputy head of Bole District Woreda 06, told Fortune that Nexus is not the only one, but bars and restaurants in the area have also been closed based on similar allegations.

"People are dying; public health is our priority," said Selamawit. "Hotel employees aren't the administration's concern, and our mandate is to regulate."

Officials are looking to close more establishments in the coming weeks, she disclosed.