100 rooms in Delhi's Ashoka Hotel will be used by a private hospital as Covid care centre
A five-star hotel has been selected as the COVID-19 care centre for judges and judicial officers of the Delhi High Court and their families. A hundred rooms in central Delhi's Ashoka Hotel have been booked for this purpose, Chanakyapuri sub-divisional magistrate Geeta Grover said in an order.
Primus Hospital will run the Covid care services at the five-star hotel, the order said.
"The biomedical waste disposal will be the responsibility of the hospital. The staff of hotel shall be provided all protective gear and given basic adequate training. Ambulance for transfer facility will be provided by Primus Hospital," the order said.
"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," it said.
"The charges shall be collected by hospital and the hospital shall make the 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.
Covid cases have been rising in Delhi and across the country at an alarming rate. Hospitals in the national capital have been gasping for medical oxygen, needed by Covid patients, and sending out SOS on social media. The matter has been heard in the Delhi High Court too.
Delhi on Monday reported its highest single-day Covid fatalities with 380 deaths. Over 20,000 fresh cases were reported during the same period.
The surge in Covid cases in recent weeks have led to what is now being called a deadlier second wave of the pandemic. Social media is full of stories of desperate people trying to find oxygen or a hospital bed for their friends and family.
Covid Care Facility by NDTV on Scribd
More and more people this time are complaining of breathlessness, which needs oxygen support. However, the supply of oxygen has become severely limited due to the sudden jump in demand across cities and towns. Only now the centre is running "Oxygen Express" trains carrying tankers to states worst hit by Covid.