'Something doesn’t make sense here’: De Blasio vows probe after three men die in coronavirus quarantine in Midtown hotel
Three men released from New York City hospitals after being treated for coronavirus died while in quarantine at a Midtown hotel — and now the city is trying to find out what went wrong.
Two of the men, Robert Rowe, 70, and Julio Melendez, 42, were found dead Saturday afternoon inside their rooms in the Hilton Garden Inn on W. 37th St. near Eighth Ave.
The third person, a 64-year-old man, was discovered dead Sunday morning. His name has not been released because his family has not yet been notified.
Patients from across the city have been sent to the Hilton Garden and other hotels when they no longer need hospitalization but don’t have space to quarantine at home to prevent infecting others.
“We’re doing a full review right now to understand what happened,” Mayor de Blasio said Monday. “If they were all discharged and all from different hospitals, something doesn’t make sense here, and why are these people — why have they lost their lives?”
The mayor said more medical personnel have been assigned to check in on coronavirus patients who have been released from hospitals.
“You’d think if someone has been discharged from the hospital, it’s an all clear and the reason they’re in a hotel is simply transitional, particularly if they happen to have a family situation that’s not conducive to go back to or something like that,” he said. “But we’re going to add additional personnel to ensure that everyone is being very closely watched and supported.”
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