Star-rated Cox’s Bazar hotel to turn into isolation centre

Cox's Bazar is experiencing a spike in the number of Covid-19 patients, with people of all strata getting infected, and thus putting strain on the existing isolation centres.

The process - to turn a star-rated hotel into an isolation centre near the sea beach - is underway.

Sea PrincessHotel would be turned into the isolation centre, said Md Ashraful Afsar, additional deputy commissioner (revenue) of the district.

"The district administration and civil surgeon office will jointly operate the isolation centre. It will be used for patients having no major symptoms. And patients who do not want to stay at home or there is no arrangement to stay home will also be kept here," he said.

Fresh air is one of the keys to preventing coronavirus infection. The infected people can get medical treatment and can enjoy the sea wave and fresh air, he added.

The isolation centre will be functional by this week, he expects.

Ekramul Bashar Chowdhury Suman, assistant general manager of the hotel, said that the district administration proposed that they turn the hotel into an isolation centre for this Covid-19 crisis.

"We are ready to do that. But the district administration did not explain about the maintenance, electricity bill and cost of the staff. We are in financial loss since the beginning of this endemic. Along with obeying government order, it is our moral duty too to protect the property," he added.

According to the district administration sources, there is a 50-bed isolation centre in Ramu and another 50-bed isolation centre in Chakaria.

It is mentionable that in the past 60 days (until Sunday), 781 people tested Covid-19 positive among 6,765 people at Cox's Bazar Medical College lab.

Among 258 samples, 70 were positive. Sixty-six of them were new patient and the remaining four were follow-up patients.

Some 150 people have recovered from Covid-19 and returned home, according to the information from Cox's Bazar district administration.

Sixteen people have died and among the deceased, 11 were from the Sadarupazila, and the others from Ramu, Chakaria and Teknaf.