Suspected patients can opt for comfy hotels to get quarantined

Those suspected of having Covid-19, who need to be quarantined, can now opt to stay in comfortable hotels for tariffs ranging from ₹800 to ₹2,500 in Gautan Budh

Those suspected of having Covid-19, who need to be quarantined, can now opt to stay in comfortable hotels for tariffs ranging from ₹800 to ₹2,500 in Gautan Budh Nagar. The district administration has taken over around 785 rooms in 10 hotels in Noida and Greater Noida for the purpose.

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Hotels which have been taken over by the administration are Jaypee Resort in Greater Noida, Grand Heritage Resort in Greater Noida, Hotel Ginger in Noida, Radisson Blue in Greater Noida and Noida, Gold View in Noida, Mozaic in Noida, The Stellar Gymkhana in Greater Noida, SAA Hospitality PVT Limited in Greater Noida and Savoy Suites in Greater Noida.

The district administration has also started a call centre from Saturday to address various issues of the public related to the Covid-19 outbreak. It received over 500 calls by Sunday evening.

The integrated control centre has been set up by HCL Technologies at one of its facilities in Noida, with the support of the district administration, the police, the health department and the Noida and Greater Noida authorities.

By calling on the helpline number -- 1800 419 2211-- people can get in touch with a team of doctors and if they have any symptoms, then they can opt to remain quarantined at any of the 10 hotels. A person can choose a five-star room for ₹2,500, a four-star one for ₹2,000, three-star facility for ₹1,500 and a budget stay for ₹800.

According to officials, there are many who are not comfortable with staying at the government quarantine facilities and refer to remain in home quarantine. Such persons might come in contact with others, which can lead to a further spread of the virus. So officials are expecting that people will now opt to pay for a comfortable stay, without risking the health of others around them.

The district administration has free quarantine centres at the Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar hostel in Greater Noida and the new district hospital building in Sector 39.

“We have taken over certain parts of a few hotels in Noida and Greater Noida. Tariff for the hotel quarantine facilities has been fixed. There will be a fixed menu for three meals daily, plus evening tea and snack. The cost will include all expanses such as GST, services and food. We are hoping that people will be encouraged to stay in hotel quarantine,” Suhas LY, district magistrate, said.

The toll-free call centre, apart from having doctors to address queries, also has the option to help those in need of food or rations. There is also an option to provide information about people suspected of having the disease and needing medical attention. The call centre is also linked with the police in case anyone requires police assistance.

Of the 500 calls received till Sunday evening, over 50% were related to food issues. “A majority of callers want food or rations. We are getting these delivered with the help of government network, private organisations and local volunteers. A lot of people have been calling to inform us about persons whom they think have symptoms of the infection. People have been confusing a regular cold or cough with Covid-19. Our team of doctors is helping all such persons,” Rajiv Rai, subdivisional magistrate, Dadri, said.

The health department is also going to make people in quarantine install a mobile app through which officials can keep a tab on their movement. Officials have also given an order to start stamping those in quarantine.

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