COVID-19: People quarantined in 3 Delhi hotels will have to pay charges, says official order

People availing quarantine facilities at three private hotels identified by the Delhi government in the wake of coronavirus outbreak will have to pay charges, official orders said.

The government has set up paid quarantine facilities at three hotels - Lemon Tree, Red Fox, IBIS - located in Aerocity.

The people showing symptoms of coronavirus and those coming from COVID-19 hit countries have to undergo compulsory quarantine for 14 days.

According to three separate orders issued by New Delhi District Magistrate Tanvi Garg, people using quarantine facilities at these three hotels will have to pay Rs 3100, excluding taxes, per day.

The facilities to be provided in such hotels include three meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner - two water bottles, tea or coffee and other services such as Wi-Fi and television.

IBIS and Lemon Tea Premier have been asked to set aside 92 and 54 rooms, respectively for paid quarantine facilities, while Red Fox Hotel has to isolate 36 rooms for the same, the order said.

"Non-compliance of this order shall attract penal action as per the Act/Regulation in force," Garg, who is also the chairman of Delhi Disaster Management Authority, said in the order.

The payment will be made by the actual beneficiary from the day the beneficiary occupies the room, it stated, adding request for payment of advance may be avoided.

"The hotel shall deploy their security personnel in such a way so that movement of these guests is restricted in the confined area. The management shall also observe the movement of these guests through CCTV in their control room," it stated.

A government official, however, said people being kept at quarantine centres set up by the Delhi government will not need to pay and all services provided to them will be free of cost.

India on Tuesday reported its third coronavirus fatality with a 63-year-old dying in Mumbai, Health Ministry officials said as the number of positive cases rose sharply to 137 and more parts of the country shut down to stem the spread of the infection.