India's biggest Covid-19 care centre at BIEC in Bengaluru to shut on September 15

The COVID Care Centre at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) will shut down on September 15 because it’s no more getting patients.

The 10,100-bedded facility, billed as India’s largest, had attracted attention due to the government’s initial decision to rent beds and furniture at a high cost. The government later bought the items following all-round criticism.

The facility was established mainly to serve mildly symptomatic Covid-19 patients. But there’s been a drastic fall in the number of admissions at the BIEC in recent weeks after the government allowed home isolation of patients.

In an order, the BBMP stated that the decision to shut down the facility was discussed at a meeting with the chief minister following a suggestion from Rajender Kumar Kataria, the head of the Covid Care Care Task Force.

The beds and furniture purchased for the BIEC facility will now be given to government and university hostels. The Social Welfare Department will get 2,500 sets of furniture for its hostels, horticulture university hostel, Bagalkot (1,000), Minority Welfare Department hostel (1,000) and the GKVK, Bengaluru, (1,000). The remaining furniture will be given to government hospitals and hostels.