Delhi 5-star hotel converted to COVID care centre for HC judges, officials

Around a hundred rooms of a central Delhi-based five-star hotel have been converted into COVID care centre to treat judges and officers of the Delhi High Court and their families.

Releasing an order to this effect, Chanakyapuri’s sub-divisional magistrate Geeta Grover said Primus Hospital will operate its COVID care services from Ashoka Hotel of Delhi.

Stating that the hotel staff will be trained in COVID care and given protective gear, the order clarified that Primus Hospital will be responsible for ambulance services to ferry patients and the disposal of biomedical waste.

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“For any shortage of hotel staff, the same will be provided by the hospital. All the services including rooms, housekeeping, disinfection and food for patients etc. shall be provided by the hotel,” the order said.

The hospital has been entrusted with collecting the medical charges and making payment to the hotel.

“Primus Hospital may accommodate their doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff at their own expenses after deciding the rates mutually,” the order said.

The national capital which on Monday logged in 20,000 new infections and its highest daily mortality of 380 deaths, has been struggling with an acute lack of hospital beds and oxygen to treat the rising number of COVID patients.

In a relief, the first Oxygen Express carrying around 70 tonnes of medical oxygen reached Delhi on Tuesday morning. The government on Monday also extended the earlier six-day lockdown by another week, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal terming it as “our last weapon against the rapidly spreading pandemic”.

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