UK: Convention center to become emergency hospital

LONDON

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced at a press conference on Tuesday that the government was converting a London conference center into an emergency hospital as the U.K.-wide death toll climbed by 87 in the last 24 hours.

Hancock took questions from journalists remotely via video link as part of social distancing measures.

It came as the U.K.’s Department of Health announced: “Across the U.K., there have been 90,436 concluded tests of which 82,359 were confirmed negative, and 8,077 positive.

“422 patients who tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) have sadly died.”

Hancock said: "We will, next week, open a new hospital -- a temporary hospital -- the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the Excel centre in London.

"The NHS Nightingale Hospital will comprise two wards, each of 2,000 people.

"With the help of the military and with NHS clinicians we will make sure that we have the capacity that we need so that everyone can get the support that they need."

It will be one of a number of emergency hospitals to be built around the country. London was chosen as the first destination as the capital is ahead of the rest of the country in terms of the number of coronavirus cases.

The Excel convention center covers a massive 100,000 square meters at London’s dockyards, it was also the location where the G20 global financial crisis meeting took place in 2009.

Hancock also said 11,788 former healthcare staff, including doctors, nurses, and other clinical staff, have agreed to return to the National Health Service to help fight the outbreak.

He added that 5,500 final year medical students and 1,800 final year student nurses will also enter the national health service early.

Earlier in the day, Hancock gave further details about government orders to stay at home where possible and socially distance when outside, and police powers to break up gatherings of more than two people and fine those involved.

He told the parliament: "These measures are not advice, they are rules and will be enforced, including by the police with fines starting at £30 [$35.2] up to unlimited fines for non compliance."

Earlier in the day at a press briefing in Downing Street, the prime minister’s spokesman dismissed suggestions, including those from inside the ruling Conservative Party, that the U.K. left its decision to shut down the country too late to avoid a fate like Italy’s.

The spokesman said the U.K.’s policy was guided by science and experts.

Tuesday was also dominated by discussion of whether construction work should continue. London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have called for works to stop. The government said it supported continuing works but that construction companies should use common sense and maintain social distancing on construction sites.

The novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 that emerged in Wuhan, China, last December has spread to at least 169 countries and territories. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

According to Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center, more than 414,200 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with over 18,500 deaths and over 107,800 recovered.

Italy, China, Iran, and Spain continue to be the most affected countries.

Despite the rising number of cases, a vast majority of those infected by the virus suffer mild symptoms and recover.