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Owners unwilling to turn hotels into Covid isolation facilities in Ludhiana
The authorities said that earlier a hotel owner had accepted the proposal, but he, too, withdrew his name citing losses and impact on other visitors.
The project to provide isolation facilities to asymptomatic Covid positive patients has run into rough weather as no hotel has given consent to the administration for allowing positive patients into their establishments.
The authorities said that earlier a hotel owner had accepted the proposal, but he, too, withdrew his name citing losses and impact on other visitors.
Senior medical officer (SMO) Hatinder Kaur said, “A hotel owner gave consent and a patient was also sent into isolation at the hotel. Later, however, the hotel owner refused to provide the facility citing losses among other reasons.”
One of the employees of the health department, requesting anonymity, said requests for availing isolation facilities were pouring in, but there were no rooms available. A few hotels were providing quarantine facilities to suspected and asymptomatic patients at their own level and were also fixing rent on their own, the official said, adding that many residents were also opting for home isolation.
Executive member of the hotel and restaurant association, Amarjit Singh, said, “Only big hotels can provide isolation facilities for positive asymptomatic patients as they can dedicate a whole space/floor for them. However, the impact of the presence of such patients on other visitors is also stopping hotel owners. At a time when hotels are receiving tepid responses due to Covid-19 restrictions and fear, no one would want to push away customers. There is a shortage of labour as well.”
Additional chief administrator (ACA), Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority, Bhupinder Singh, said, “The administration is making regular efforts to rope in hoteliers for providing isolation facilities. But no hotelier has given consent till now.”
Deputy commissioner Varinder Sharma had on July 21 formed a committee and deputed three nodal officers including ACA, GLADA, Bhupinder Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) Sachin Gupta, and SMO Hatinder Kaur for coordinating with willing hoteliers.
