Faced with a massive leap in the number of COVID infections in the city, the BMC has brought back rules to tighten allotment of beds to patients in civic-run and private hospitals. A circular on Monday reiterated many instructions that had been pushed to the backburner over the past six months. It says 69 private hospitals will now be included in the list COVID facilities. 

The move will add more 2,269 beds. At present, 30 government and BMC hospitals have reserved 9,397 beds for COVID patients. There are 3,218 beds in 48 private hospitals for such patients. To streamline allotment of beds, the circular says private hospitals must reserve 80 per cent of their COVID beds and 100 per cent ICU beds for Ward War Room-allotted patients. It says no asymptomatic positive patient without any comorbidity will be given a COVID bed. Hospitals have also been told to discharge such patients to free up beds.