Source: India West
March 31, 2020
Indian American hoteliers have come forward to help out stranded Indian students in the U.S. following implementation of lockdown measures in the country in response to the rapidly-spreading coronavirus pandemic.
The hoteliers are offering the students free accommodation and free meals, according to a news release.
With the students scrambling for a roof over their heads after being asked to vacate their hostels and India banning international flights for a week from March 22 due to the coronavirus pandemic, more than 6,000 rooms in nearly 700 hotels were offered to them by March 25 following a call from the Indian Embassy, it said.
The Indian Embassy has been running a round-the-clock helpline since last week for the students in the U.S., who number over 250,000, the release noted.
Most of these hotels offered are in and around universities and colleges, but hotel owners from across the country have responded in large numbers to the call given by Indian American community leaders, who have roped in the Asian American Hotel Owners Association for the purpose, it said.
India’s Ambassador to the U.S. Taranjit Singh Sandhu tweeted, “It is heartening to see that Indian; Indian-American and other hotel owners are coming forward to help people with accommodation in these testing times. Together we can overcome the fight against COVID19!”
