Coronavirus Prep: 250 Bed Field Hospital Being Erected On Miami-Dade's Youth Fair Grounds
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A field hospital is being set up on Miami-Dade's Youth Fair grounds as the country prepares for an increase in coronavirus cases.
A report from the county's Emergency Operations Center described it as a "250-bed field hospital" but it's not known if the facility is for coronavirus cases or patients with other needs diverted from emergency rooms, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.
The Youth Fair offered the use of a tented area off Coral Way on the fairgrounds site, said Ray Casas, a spokesman for the Youth Fair, the nonprofit that rents the fairgrounds at Tamiami Park from Miami-Dade.
Crews from a Kentucky company, Emergency Disaster Services, arrived Monday and construction continued Tuesday morning.
"There's a hospital going up right now," he said.
Construction should be finished Friday, but it's not known when the field hospital would become operational.
Representatives of Miami-Dade were not available for comment.
Mayor Carlos Gimenez has issued emergency orders closing thousands of businesses, parks and entertainment options in an effort to reduce human contact and slow the spread of COVID-19 in order to ease pressure on hospitals.