Kejriwal wants army doctors for 10,000-bed Covid centre

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding doctors and nurses from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the Army to run a 10,000-bed COVID-19 care facility being set up in south Delhi, sources said.

They said the chief minister has also invited Shah to visit the upcoming facility on the sprawling campus of spiritual organisation Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

Kejriwal has sought doctors and nurses from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the Army to run the centre, the sources said.

The lush green RSSB campus is located near the Delhi-Haryana border.

The COVID-19 facility, which will be 1,700 feet long and 700 feet wide, will have 200 enclosures with 50 beds each.

Last week, the Delhi government had said the RSSB campus was being converted into the world's largest temporary COVID-19 care facility to help the city deal with the surging coronavirus cases.

Earlier this month, Kejriwal had said that it would be used as an isolation centre for COVID-19 asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms who may have problems in being home quarantined.

Delhi would need 1.5 lakh beds in healthcare facilities by July 31 once people start coming to the city for treatment from other states, Kejriwal had said, adding that his government had "unprecedented challenges" ahead as data showed that COVID-19 cases would rapidly increase in Delhi in the coming days.

On Monday, Delhi recorded 2,909 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the city over the 62,000-mark, while the death toll from the disease climbed to 2,233.

From Friday to Sunday, 3,000 or more fresh cases were being reported every day in the national capital.