The Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv was the first hotel to be converted into a “coronavirus hotel” for patients with light symptoms. A Kikar H’Shabbos reporter spoke to several Chareidim at the hotel to get a glimpse of what there life there is like.

There are currently about 700 coronavirus patients at the hotel and about 300 are Chareidi or Dati.

The hotel is run by IDF Home Front command soldiers who wear protective clothing from head to toe. The patients clean their rooms themselves to reduce the risk of infection for the soldiers and other staff.

K., 28, an alumnus of Ponevezh, lives in the north of Israel in a two-bedroom apartment He contracted the coronavirus and his wife and two children caught it as well.

K. has only good things to say about the conditions and atmosphere in the hotel. “We feel good here. It’s not like a five-star hotel but we get whatever we need here.”

K. said that at times there are groups of Chareidim and Chilonim sitting and singing together or listening to Divrei Torah from someone in the group. “The atmosphere here is positive and calm. We get good food wrapped up on trays and whoever wants can get food with a Mehadrin hechsher. The hotel is set up for frum people who will need to remain for Pesach.”

Some of the “guests’ who prefer a more Chareidi atmosphere will soon be transferred to Ner Etzion in the north which offers food with an Eida Hachareidis hechsher.

Another Chareidi patient wasn’t as positive, saying: “We receive meals because that’s the minimum. We received a room in the hotel because there’s no room in the hospital. And no, we’re not walking around here with martinis and tanning by the pool.”

A., a resident of Bnei Brak, who’s “hospitalized” in the hotel together with her family, had complaints about the health care at the hotel. “The Health Ministry and Kupot Cholim are shirking their responsibilities. They’re not allowing testing to rule out the coronavirus.”

A. added: “My husband helped an older man who was having seizures for 37 minutes. That’s how long it took until an ambulance came.”

Kikar H’Shabbos checked A.’s story out and verified that due to Hatzalah’s heavy caseload as a result of the coronavirus, an ambulance can take as long as 40 minutes to arrive!

Another patient at the hotel wrote on the hotel “guests” Whatsapp group on Wednesday: “There are people here (like me for example) who are “hospitalized” here for three weeks already, were transferred from the hospital a week and a half ago and didn’t even receive one test. And I’m not the only one.”

Kikar H’Shabbos asked the Health Ministry for a response and they said that it’s true that at times tests for patients who are not at risk can “be a bit delayed.” However, the ministry claims that most of the “guests” are tested a week after they tested positive for the virus and after two negative tests, they’re released to their homes. Every day, two to four patients are released.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)