This archive report was first published on 27 June 2020.
India's Capital Grapples with Coronavirus Surge ¶
Delhi, home to 25 million people, is the worst-hit city in India, with over 75,000 cases of coronavirus reported so far. The city's hospitals are at breaking point, and authorities are taking drastic measures to confront the crisis.
"For doctors and nurses, this is a part of their lives. For us, this is a totally new experience and a very difficult one at that," said Ritu Yadav, operations manager at the five-star Suryaa hotel, as staff in masks rush to deep clean the building.
Delhi's government has predicted that the number of cases will soar to 500,000 by the end of July, prompting the city to repurpose hotels, wedding halls, and other facilities into hospitals and isolation centers.
The city's authorities have even started converting a spiritual center or ashram into a coronavirus isolation facility and hospital with 10,000 beds, many made of cardboard.
Hotels and Ashrams Repurposed ¶
Hotels in Delhi have been ordered to provide hospital care, sparking outrage in the industry. The owners of Suryaa and four other hotels approached the court, arguing that many staff were over 50 and therefore high-risk themselves, with no experience of hospital care or handling bio-medical waste.
"It came as a shock because we were not spoken to about it, we got to know through the press," said Greesh Bindra, a top executive at the hotel. "It's like you are sleeping in a hotel and the next morning when you wake up you are told your hotel has become a hospital. Your first reaction will be how is this possible. We are hospitality, not a hospital."
The hotel won a reprieve from the court, allowing it to act as a covid care center, housing patients on their way to recovery with mild to moderate symptoms.
Delhi's government has also started converting railway coaches into isolation centers, despite the sweltering heat.
Cardboard Beds and Community Efforts ¶
Delhi has just over 13,000 beds for coronavirus patients in state-run hospitals, with another 10,000 in private ones. However, the city government forecasts it will need 80,000 beds by the end of July.
Many residents in Delhi are taking matters into their own hands, buying oxygen cylinders and other equipment, and using vacant flats as isolation wards.
"One of our residents lost his life just because he couldn't get a bed in time. Then we thought we should do something at our level," said Lokesh Munjal, the head of a west Delhi housing society. "We don't want to be at the mercy of government and hospitals."
