Coronavirus Update: Refrigerated Trucks To Serve As Mobile Morgues In Miami-Dade

click to expand

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - In response to the coronavirus pandemic, two refrigerated trucks have arrived at the Miami-Dade medical examiner's office.

The trucks are on standby and will serve as additional morgues in case they are needed.

A spokesperson with Jackson Health Systems released the following statement about the trucks:

"Because there is so much uncertainty as to how severely Miami-Dade County will be impacted by COVID-19 in the coming weeks, Jackson Health System has taken the precautionary measure to secure refrigerated mobile trucks in the event that our hospitals' morgues reach capacity."

"But we have not reached that level yet. As we navigate through this crisis, we are learning from other areas that have faced severe medical challenges like New York City and, out of an abundance of caution, we are trying to plan ahead. We remain hopeful that our community continues to follow social distancing practices and stay at home orders to minimize the impact of this virus in Miami-Dade County."

As of Wednesday morning, Miami-Dade County led the state in coronavirus deaths with 143.