Coronavirus News: Field hospital plans scrapped at St. John the Divine in NYC

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Thursday, April 9, 2020
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MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, Manhattan (WABC) -- One of the world's most iconic cathedrals will not be transformed into a field hospital after all.

The Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan says Mount Sinai Health System decided not to pursue its plans at this time.

The plan had been for patients will be treated in the cathedral's 600 foot-long sanctuary where workers had set-up hospital beds in recent days.

"We were notified this morning that Mount Sinai will not be pursuing its plans to build a field hospital at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine at this moment. Our commitment to Mount Sinai and to the city, our longtime partners, stands firm, and we will do whatever is in our power to aid the medical workers heroically putting themselves on the front line to help the sick," St. John the Divine wrote in a statement. "As we continue to stand ready to support all in this crisis, we reaffirm our core mission and staunch belief in the worth and dignity of all people, and open our virtual doors to all those who want to participate in Holy Week services."

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