As the number of positive cases breached the 4,400 mark, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) on Tuesday designated thirteen hotels and lodges as pay-and-use quarantine facilities in the twin-city.
The civic administration released a list of hotels and lodges which had voluntarily stepped ahead with the proposal while looking at it as a way to earn revenue during the lockdown. But now, owners of several establishments are doing a rethink and are now hesitant to rent out their rooms for quarantine purpose as the state government in a bid to further ease the stringent coronavirus-induced lockdown for over four months, has allowed hotels and other entities providing accommodation services outside containment zones to resume operations at 33 percent of their capacity from July 8.
As per orders promulgated by the MBMC, single rooms can be availed on a payment of Rs.2,500 per day (plus taxes) including accommodation and food. Several guidelines and protocols have been laid down by the civic body for lodge owners and people availing the facilities.
“Half of our staff has already left for their hometowns and are refusing to come back. The ones who are here are reluctant to work for quarantined persons. It is very difficult to convince them.” said a lodge owner, who did not wish to be identified.
A large number of quarantine centres are required to be set up to tackle the coronavirus crisis, and a couple of public properties have already tagged for quarantine and treatment facilities, however, it is necessary to make more such units available as part of the civic body’s preparedness to deal with any emerging situation, said an official. With a total of 4,471 cases the coronagraph of the twincity has reached alarming levels. The death toll has also reached 168.
