The decision to provide rooms for doctors and medical staff at the Lalit Hotel in Barakhamba Road was announced by the Delhi government on March 30. (File)

Doctors from government hospitals received a warm welcome as they began to check-in to rooms at premier hotels, days after the Delhi government announced medical staff would be temporarily accommodated in hotel rooms.

“Doctors were applauded when they entered the Lalit Hotel and a sanitisation workshop was organised by the hotel staff,” said a Lalit Hotel spokesperson.

While the Lalit Hotel in Barakhamba Road welcomed doctors from LNJP and GB Pant Sunday morning, the Leela Ambience in East Delhi has been hosting doctors from Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital since last week.

The decision to provide rooms for doctors and medical staff at the Lalit Hotel in Barakhamba Road was announced by the Delhi government on March 30. “Doctors are working in 14 day shifts. The doctors will be staying at the hotel for the entire 28 day duration. The purpose of working in shifts is to quarantine doctors who are coming in contact with positive patients and to keep their families safe,” said an official of the Health and Family Welfare Department, Delhi government.

A Lalit Hotel spokesperson said, “The entire hotel was sanitised by the staff. A room has been assigned to each doctor, nurse and paramedical staff.”

Similarly, Leela Ambience at Surajmal Vihar has taken a number of steps to ensure the safety of both staff and doctors. “A separate floor has been assigned to doctors and staff are using PPE kits when they come in contact with the doctors. We started hosting doctors as soon as the Delhi government informed us. A few doctors and medical staff started checking in on Wednesday night. We have been asked to set aside 50 rooms for them. We are ensuring that our staff is taking all the necessary precautions and following government guidelines regarding safety and sanitation,” said a Spokesperson of the Leela Ambience. The hotel is located within a 5 km radius of both the hospitals.

Taj Hotels have started providing food to doctors and medical staff free of cost. The meals are prepared by TajSATS. “As of 30th March 2020, we started serving meals at Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi (200 meals). The scope has now widened to include 7 hospitals in New Delhi – these are Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality H, G B Pant Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadyay and Dr. Ambedkar Hospital. We will be delivering 1700 meals daily in New Delhi,” said a Spokesperson of IHCL, Tata Group.