TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Caesar Park Taipei hotel announced on Friday (May 21) that it will cease operations immediately amid the surging number of local COVID-19 cases.

The hotel will stop accepting room reservations, and its restaurants will close their doors. It will conduct disinfection, cleaning, and equipment maintenance during this period, according to a statement.

The Caesar Park Taipei will be recruited as a COVID hotel, said Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊), deputy mayor of Taipei City. The hotel is located at a boisterous traffic hub adjacent to Taipei Main Station, which connects the Taipei Metro, Taoyuan Metro, and the country’s railway networks.

Since a Level 3 alert was declared for the capital on May 15, the city’s quarantine centers and COVID hotels have been used to accommodate both those subject to quarantine as a precaution and those who have tested positive for the virus but have minor or no symptoms.

At a Thursday (May 20) news briefing, Taipei City Government said the city currently has 103 COVID hotels, with a total capacity of 6,400 rooms. Another two hotels have agreed to become facilities for coronavirus patients, providing 250 additional rooms between them.

Accommodation businesses nationwide have taken action in the battle against the COVID with complete or partial closures and reduced services over the past week as cases spiked. These include the Howard Plaza Hotel, Caesar Metro Taipei, LDC Hotels, and Kingship Hotel.