Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said three sites to handle an expected May surge in coronavirus cases will be up and running in six weeks.
“These facilities will free up capacity in the existing hospital system,” Mr. Northam said Friday.
In Northern Virginia, the Army Corps of Engineers will put up a hospital site at the Dulles Expo Center that will accommodate 315 acute or 510 non-acute beds.
The Richmond Convention Center will be turned into an alternative hospital site with 432 acute or 758 non-acute beds.
And the Hampton Roads Convention Center will be converted with space for 360 acute or 580 non-acute beds.
As of Friday afternoon, Virginia has 2,012 cases in a population of about 8.6 million, and 46 individuals have died from complications associated with the virus.
The Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, a long-term care facility near Richmond, tested all of its residents for the coronavirus after 16 died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, Mr. Northam said.
He said 92 residents tested positive, and 53 of the positive cases showed no symptoms.
“This demonstrates how absolutely critical it is that everyone stay home,” Mr. Northam said. “Because people can have this virus without knowing it or feeling sick.”
Meanwhile, he said 114,000 Virginia residents have applied for unemployment, which he said “is a very large number but by next week it will feel small.”
As the state falls into a recession, Mr. Northam has directed state agencies to re-evaluate budgets and make cuts for the upcoming budget cycle.
• Sophie Kaplan can be reached at skaplan@washingtontimes.com.
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