Yahoo Sports Coronavirus: Plans continue for more ‘field hospitals’ in events spaces across UK
Officials are looking into setting up further field hospitals across the UK to tackle the Covid-19 coronavirus as work begins to establish a 4,000 capacity site in a London exhibition centre.
The NHS Nightingale hospital is being built into east London’s Excel conference centre, and is expected to provide 500 beds by the next week.
Now officials are looking at possible sites elsewhere in the country to bolster existing hospital services with the support of military planners.
The Army confirmed the SEC in Glasgow was being considered, while bosses at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham have said they “stand ready” to aid in the fight against the virus if called upon.
At the time the Nightingale site was announced, officials said plans will aim to provide emergency facilities for every region of the UK while deploying Ministry of Defence personnel from the Covid Support group with the goal of “filling the gap from peacetime capability to virtually a wartime one”.
Additional reporting by PA.
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