Banquet halls and hotels in the Indian capital region of Delhi are being converted into “extended Covid hospitals” as cases continue to surge during the country’s second wave.
A total of 23 hotels and banquets halls will be linked to private hospitals to add more than 2,000 additional beds, according to an order by Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday. Patients will be sent to the hotels and linked private hospitals depending on their condition.
“The hotel shall provide regular hotel services, including rooms, housekeeping, disinfection and food for the patients for a price not greater than Rs5,000 ($66) for five-star hotels and not more than Rs4,000 ($53) for three/four-star hotels per day per person,” read the order, tweeted by Jain.
For oxygen support, Rs2,000 ($26) can be charged per day, the order stated.
Government hospitals have also increased their number of beds and oxygen support, Jain said.
On Wednesday, Delhi recorded 17,282 new cases, its highest single-day figure since the start of the pandemic. Since April 11, Delhi has recorded more than 10,000 cases per day — the positivity rate has jumped from 9.43% to 15.92%.
Nationwide second wave: India surpassed 14 million total cases on Thursday, with numbers rising every day as the second wave sweeps the country.
India recorded 200,739 new cases on Wednesday — the first time it has surpassed the 200,000 mark.
The country has reported more than 173,000 total coronavirus deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
