Amid rising numbers of positive cases of Novel Coronavirus in India, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is leading the fight against what could be a serious public health emergency for the country. So far, 31 persons have been tested positive for COVID-19 in India, with the latest addition coming from Delhi’s Uttam Nagar.

Uttar Pradesh currently has 8 confirmed cases. As a result, the government has close to no time to waste in sitting over strategies for tackling a potential outbreak. The government is making use of all immediately available resources at its disposal. In 2018, the National Green Tribunal had sealed a sprawling Haj House in Ghaziabad’s Arthala over the lack of a sewage treatment plant. Yogi government is now all set to convert this same Ala Hazrat Haj House into a quarantine and treatment facility for the individuals who test positive for COVID-19. According to Shailendra Kumar Singh, ADM, Ghaziabad City, an isolation centre with a capacity of as many as 500 beds is being developed at the Haj House in Ghaziabad. The facility is being sanitized and power supply is being arranged for the convenience of those who would be coming to the facility for treatment, he added.

The facility is expected to be functional in a week’s time, and can house close to 500 patients. The medical staff, including nurses and doctors will be roped in from district hospitals of the state. On Thursday, the district administration of Ghaziabad and officials from minority board inspected the Haj house. Narendra Gupta and ADM city Shailendra Singh told that the UP government is very serious regarding the epidemic.

The Ala Hazrat Haj complex, spread over an area of 4.3 acres, has ground plus six floors and includes 47 large dormitory halls and 36 VIP rooms, and can accommodate 1,886 persons. The complex was constructed at a cost of Rs. 50 crores by the Akhilesh Yadav government, and was inaugurated in 2016. The size of the complex makes it an ideal site to serve as a isolation and treatment facility, as it was anyway under lockdown following the NGT’s orders in 2018.

The Yogi Adityanath government in the state has taken a bold decision by converting the Haj House into a quarantine facility for Coronavirus patients. Not only has a site under lockdown been put to good use, but it also tells us how seriously the government is fighting the spread of Coronavirus. The conversion of a Haj Complex into a quarantine facility must have been a difficult decision to make, as it could affect the religious sentiments of Muslims. Nevertheless, the government took the decision keeping public health over religion. For this, it must be commended.