GCC allows hotels to start covid care centres
The Greater Chennai Corporation, in a move to increase the number of COVID beds in the city, allowed private hospitals and hotels to start COVID care centres without obtaining prior permission from the civic body.
“All the private hotels and hospitals are hereby sanctioned permission to start the COVID care centres privately with necessary facilities forthwith. There is no need to get permission. Just an intimation to Chennai Corporation is simply enough,” G Prakash, Chennai Corporation Commissioner, said.
He added that the private hospitals and hotels could start the centres straightaway by sending an email intimation to jagadeesan.gcc@gmail.com.
When asked whether the private centres should provide free of cost service or not, an official clarified that COVID patients preferring private care centres would have to pay the charges fixed by the private parties.
“The charge will be the room rent of the hotels. The move will help the patients, who do not want to stay at the COVID care centers operated by the civic body,” he added.
Presently, the civic body has created around 12,600 beds in 14 centres across the city. However, the civic body has taken measures to increase the number of centers to increase the total number of beds to more than 20,000.