COVID-19: ITDC's hotel to provide 500 meals daily to AIIMS, RML health care workers

In the midst of the COVID pandemic, the health care workers in the national capital, who have been tirelessly working to curb the spread of virus, will be provided with 500 packed meals daily, informed the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) on Saturday.

The food packets will be given out to health care workers at two government hospitals -- All India Institute Of Medical Science (AIIMS) and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML).

The food will be prepared at the ITDC's flagship hotel 'The Ashok'.

Arvind Rai, Chief chef at The Ashok Hotel, informedthat all safety measures are being taken care of and the food is being cooked in a separate VIP kitchen.

"After cooking in this VIP kitchen, we close it and then we open it again the next day. We have a weekly menu according to which we prepare food," he added.

Meanwhile, kitchen in-charge Chef Sanjay said the norms are being followed to keep the virus out of the kitchen.

"We are checking the temperature of all our cooking staff on a regular basis. For safety, we also dip vegetables in chlorine water before cooking. As we know that for good immunity there must be a good amount of protein in the food so we ensure that our menus have protein-rich food. Boosting the immunity is very important and the food we eat plays a very important role in this," he said.

Resident manager of the hotel Asad Fayyas toldthat 250 meals are being sent to AIIMS and 250 to RML hospital.

He also said, "Our staff has been divided into two groups -- cooking and packaging. Both teams have to wear a mask, gloves, face shield, and other protective gears. Our staff is vaccinated and we always ensure that all safety measures are followed."

( With inputs from ANI )