The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation announced on Thursday that it had approved the use of two five-star hotels in Mumbai by private hospitals to admit those COVID-19 patients who were not in a critical condition.
The Hindustan Times reported, "A total of 42 beds—22 in the InterContinental hotel in Marine Drive and 20 in the Trident Hotel in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC)—will be made available" for the purpose. These facilities have been referred to as 'step-down' facilities.
The BMC added that more hotels could be roped in for the purpose if the need arose.
Earlier this week, the BMC chief had said the Maharashtra government had decided to set up three jumbo field hospitals in Mumbai in five-six weeks' time and also convert four- and five-star hotels into COVID-19 care centres.
The hospitals would provide "round-the-clock facility to the hotel like nursing, online consultation, medicines, biomedical waste management and ambulances". Inclusive of taxes and meals, hotels could charge Rs 4,000 from a single patient, with medical expenses being additional.
On Wednesday, Mumbai recorded 9,931 new cases and 54 fatalities, taking the tally to 5,45,195 and the death toll to 12,147.
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Meanwhile, the Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai will be converted into a dedicated facility for COVID-19 cases. A circular from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai issued on Wednesday said all stable patients who did not have COVID-19 and did not require tertiary care would have to be discharged.
All patients needing tertiary care at Jaslok Hospital will need to be moved to a nearby tertiary care hospital within 48 hours, while elective surgeries have to be postponed.
