At the Pentagon this afternoon, the commanding general of the Army Corps of Engineers laid out in detail how it'll be involved in rapidly expanding bed space for COVID-19 patients in places like New York City.
Bottom line: It includes hotels, dorms, even conference centers.
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Bottom line: It includes hotels, dorms, even conference centers.
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Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, standing alongside other senior Army officials, said state governments will nominate facilities to be used, FEMA will approve them and then funding will flow from there.
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“This is an unbelievably complicated problem, and there is no way we are going to be able to do this with a complicated solution,” the general said of the existing lack of bed space. “We need something super simple. So, our concept is a standard design.”
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The design will include nurse’s stations in hallways, and require the installation of standard equipment that creates zero-pressure rooms to contain germs. It has been approved by HHS, and briefed to White House officials, he said. 4/
Major sense of urgency conveyed clearly. Semonite met with @NYGovCuomo this week, and said he needed him to immediately begin identifying facilities to convert.
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“He said, ‘How fast do you need them?’ And I said, ‘I need one tonight. I need three by tomorrow night,’” Semonite said. “So, we actually got turned on by the governor. We got money from FEMA to go into two buildings on Tuesday night.”
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A head-turning aspect to this is facilities they're looking at, like the massive @javitscenter in Manhattan.
Also, @SUNY dormitories, Semonite said.
Today, Army Corps engineers walked through hotels and other open-space buildings.
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Also, @SUNY dormitories, Semonite said.
Today, Army Corps engineers walked through hotels and other open-space buildings.
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"The bottom line is, we've got to something very, very quick," Semonite said. "Most of the governors are saying that their peak is somewhere around the middle of April. So, this is not take all of the time in the world to do it."
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The Corps of Engineers can't do this everywhere, the general said. Doesn't have the capacity. It's relying on the federal government to prioritize cities.
The intent is that other cities can replicate the plan.
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The intent is that other cities can replicate the plan.
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