Miami-Dade’s fairgrounds in Westchester may soon act as a makeshift hospital, as medical facilities across the area have become overwhelmed with patients needing treatment for the novel coronavirus.
The Youth Fair has offered a tented area off Coral Way as a hospital site, according to the nonprofit’s President, Eddie Cora.
He says Miami-Dade's Office of Emergency Management asked to use the fairgrounds for a "possible" 250-bed temporary hospital.
"This is done in advance of the need of a hospital," Cora says. "This is a 'just in case' measure so that we're not playing from behind."
Crews could be seen constructing the field hospital Tuesday morning. Corra says the hospital will be built by Thursday and handed over to the county.
It is not clear at the moment whether the makeshift hospital will be used for coronavirus patients.
On Saturday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said 34 hospitals across the state were at 50% capacity or more – with 18,000 beds being available at the time.
