Cases breached the 13,000 mark today, with health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah saying recently it may surge even more over the next two weeks due to the increase in testing.
Speaking to FMT, two hotels involved in quarantine of Covid-19 patients said at times all of the rooms dedicated for the purpose were fully booked.
One of the hotels, Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur, said they had been operating their quarantine package in collaboration with Zahran Mega Clinic for Category 1 and 2A patients for companies and families since June 12.
One of the administrators, Adlin Hani, said there are 400 rooms in total, with two beds per room. At times, they would be accommodating 800 patients at a time.
Local patients and expatriates, and also foreigners, are separated by floors. Foreigners are usually sent to the hotel by their employers, she said.
“Every day, we provide three meals a day and a doctor will make the rounds twice a day. Doctors are available on-site round the clock to attend to any issues.”
At times, the two people in a room could be strangers, but most times they are from the same company or family.
“Once, there was a company which sent 600 of its workers for quarantine at one time,” she said.
“Staff who look after the customers in the quarantine zones do not mix with other staff as a safety precaution,” she added. They also moved around the building using different pathways.
They charge based on beds, with one bed costing RM250 per night and one whole private room costing RM350.
Meanwhile, another hotel, Saujana hotel in subang, said most of the 220 rooms in the three blocks dedicated for low-risk patients were full.
There are often more than one person in a room. “At times there can be two or three people. They usually come from the same company or same family and are in quarantine together,” a spokesman told FMT.
The hotel has always had a block for Covid-19 patients, but since the surge in cases in June, they have added an extra two blocks for the purpose.
They have also lowered their prices. “It used to be about RM400 to RM500 per night for one room but now it is around RM200. Our cheapest option is RM180 per night.”
Meanwhile, chief executive of the Malaysian Association of Hotels Yap Lip Seng said the few hotels offering these services had coordinated directly with the health ministry.
“We have proposed it before and it is a workable idea that can help ease the burden on public healthcare.
“Hotels have ready facilities, complete with stringent SOPs and support services. They can benefit from this programme, whether it is funded by the government or as a paid option for Covid-19 patients.”
He added it was also suitable for family or married couples that need to be quarantined together.
Giving details on the SOPs, Yap said from the information received so far, the hotels needed to be monitored by healthcare personnel, besides providing basic services and attending to sanitisation needs.
“Rooms should be with windows and equipped with in-room entertainment (TV) as well as WiFi.
“As of now, it is only at the request of the health ministry. There have not been open applications for it. Hotels will have to work out mutually benefiting costs for this programme.”
Last night, an MP had called for more Klang Valley hotels to be converted to quarantine centres to look after low-risk Covid-19 patients.
Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming said this would help alleviate overcrowding at quarantine centres struggling to cope with the sharp rise in new cases seen over the last few weeks.