In a residential area near Gifu-Hashima Station, the 10-story Hotel Koyo has been repurposed for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms.
With the delta variant rampant in the fifth wave of the pandemic, daily cases rose to a record high in August. The hotel eventually became full, and it also had to send patients in a deteriorating condition to nearby hospitals.
Located in the city of Hashima, Gifu Prefecture, the hotel has 285 beds. Each room has a small window, two beds and a bathroom. Patients are required to report their health condition by phone to nurses stationed on-site three times a day. The patients are prohibited from contact with others, and their meals and daily necessities are delivered to their doors.