Kolkata hotels asked to keep isolation rooms for guests

Kolkata, Mar 23 () In the wake of the COVID-19outbreak, the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Eastern Indiahas asked hotels of all categories in Kolkata to keepisolation rooms for guests irrespective of whether they arecoming from abroad or within the country.

An official of the association on Monday said it hassought around 500 rooms in star and non-star category hotelsin the metropolis in a bid to contain the outbreak of novelcoronavirus which has affected 415 people in the country, outof which 41 are foreigners, and left seven dead.

"We have drawn up a list of star and non-star categoryhotels where the association has asked for earmarking around500 rooms for isolation purpose," Sudesh Poddar, secretary ofthe association told .

He said the association is in discussion with thestates health and tourism departments to ascertain whetherthese rooms will be reserved for foreign guests, domestic onesor both.

Poddar said some guests are already staying in some ofthe hotels. "We wanted a clarification from the governmentwhether they can continue their stay in view of the outbreak.There is no reply from the government so far," he said.

He said the names of hotels where rooms have beensought for isolation purpose cannot be revealed.

Poddar said the association has informed thegovernment that the hospitality industry is passing through avery difficult time and has sought some concessions inpayments of property tax, electricity duty and excise licencefees," he said.

According to him, the average occupancy level acrosshotels of all categories has become close to zero per cent. dcNN NN