Hotel & Hospitality sector opens doors to combat COVID-19

“In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) urged its hotel owner members to allocate rooms and facilitate housing of a large number of people returning from other states and countries, who have to either go for self isolation or are sent to compulsory quarantine. Then we discussed the matter with the state Tourism and Health departments, and they accepted our proposals.” Suresh Poddar, Honorary Secretary of the Association, told Etv Bharat.

Hyderabad: It has started with West Bengal and very soon it will be applicable for the entire East and North East India.

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI), an apex body of hotels and restaurants in this part of the country, has decided to offer 645 hotel rooms to the West Bengal government to be used as quarantine facilities in Kolkata and other districts of the state, including Siliguri, the gateway to the North East and the hub centre of North Bengal.

The effort is aimed at aiding the government’s efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, HRAEI urged its hotel owner members to allocate rooms and facilitate housing of a large number of people returning from other states and countries, who have to either go for self isolation or are sent to compulsory quarantine. Then we discussed the matter with the state Tourism and Health departments, and they accepted our proposals.” Suresh Poddar, Honorary Secretary of the Association, told ETV Bharat.

In West Bengal, HRAEI plans to increase the allocated rooms to 1,000 in next few days, Poddar said adding that very soon hotel owners of other eastern and north eastern states will be included in the process.

About 600-plus rooms are now available in different hotels spread across SaltLake, Rajarhat, Newtown and other locations of the metropolis. Beyond the limits of Kolkata, the Association has laid emphasis on Siliguri, where another 25 rooms have been earmarked for use as either quarantine purpose, or for housing medical staff like doctors and nurses who are engaged in treating patients round-the-clock and also have to remain isolated from their homes and families.

The HRAEI’s share of challenges didn’t just end by mere allocation of rooms for tackling the surge of patients due to the deadly coronavirus. As most hotel owners are now operating with a skeleton staff strength, many of them, who need to come in direct contact with suspects or support staff in the hospitals, had to be trained by the health department on necessary precautions.

Poddar said, for every 20-25 rooms, only four to five hotel staff are available and most of them are working extra hours to cope with the rush and need.

“No one is complaining and all understand that it is for a greater cause. We only hope that the government is more sympathetic towards to the work they are doing. A generous insurance package of Rs 10 lakh has already been sanctioned for the medical, para-medical, police and other support staff engaged in fighting COVID-19. If the same is extended to us, we will definitely be in a position to motivate other owners and staff members, which eventually will only increase the room pool,” he added.