Need Covid-19 isolation? If you have R1,350 to spare you can stay here - for one night

For a minimum of R1,350 a night, you could self-isolate in style in a room at the Capital Hotel and Apartments in Sandton, the luxury accommodation group announced on Monday.

The Capital said this package would secure a customer one night in one of their standard rooms, three meals a day and a nurse on call. The food, it said, would all be prepared in accordance to strict sanitary guidelines.

“Guests are encouraged to stay for between 12 and 14 days to allow for full recovery before they return home,” the hotel said in a statement.

At the R1,350 rate, this is between R16,200 and R18,900 for the duration.

For about R650 more, guests were being offered a more spacious and modern apartment which came with a fully fitted kitchen and laundry facilities.

“All rooms include the hotels standards of complimentary high speed Wi-Fi and smart TV’s,” the hotel said.

It offered these packages alongside Discovery’s medical aid scheme, which would subsidise each of their members' stay by R400 per day.

“This is specifically for DHMS members who have Covid-19, and who do not require in-hospital care,” the hotel said.

Discovery will ensure that there is a 24-hour nursing supervision and an ambulance on call should it be required.

The Capital said it had reduced its daily rates to cater for those who may need lengthy stays during this time.

The hotel said its staff had been properly trained to not only protect themselves, but their families and guests, following guidelines from the World Health Organisation, European and US Centres for Disease Control and SA's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

“Additionally, all staff will use the necessary personal protective equipment to ensure their safety,” said the hotel group.

It said it would continue to disinfect and sanitise the hotel premises regularly, with items such as TV remotes, door handles and toilet flush handles, as well as front-desk pens and room keys, being wiped down.

“Commercial-grade cleaning and disinfectant materials are used in all aspects of the hotel,” said the hotel.

Managing director of The Capital Hotels and Apartments Marc Wachsberger said they had decided to partner with Discovery after seeing a need to create “safe spaces for people exposed or infected with the virus”.

“Like many in South Africa, we want to contribute positively to national efforts to quell the spread of the Covid-19 virus,” he said.

“In response to calls from the minister of health to assist in the nationwide drive to help South Africans affected by Covid-19, we have implemented the necessary steps to dedicate The Capital Empire Hotel in Sandton as an isolation recovery facility for people who have tested positive for Covid-19.

“We’ve prepared and have been running The Capital Empire Hotel in Sandton as a self- isolation facility with great success. Most of our hotels across the country have been implementing these steps to give the option of staying in a well-sanitised space that ensures other household members are safe from contracting Covid-19.

“The Capital intends to avail additional facilities in other major South African cities.”

The group also has facilities in Menlyn in Pretoria, Cape Town and Umhlanga in KZN.

Discovery Health CEO Ryan Noach explained why they came on board. “Evidence emerging from China demonstrated that Covid-19 spread occurred in household clusters, and consequently an isolation facility has a strong clinical basis to prevent spread from a known infected individual throughout a household,” he said.

“With an urgent need for all South Africans to flatten the curve of Covid-19 infections, it aligns with our purpose to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. It’s crucial to provide the right environment for recovery, which includes supportive medical care and extensive social distancing and sanitisation measures to limit contact and spread.”

He said the availability of this facility could possibly ease the burden on families when one member tests positive for the virus.

“By supporting this initiative, we hope to relieve some of the pressure on our health-care system and, equally important, on family members who are faced with the responsibility of staying safe while caring for someone,” added Noach.

“The creation of safe spaces for isolation, with 24/7 nursing oversight from Discovery health-care services, is a positive step in providing South Africans with access to alternative care, and to allow safe and full recovery.”