Coronavirus News: Javits Center in Manhattan will now care for COVID-19 patients
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- President Donald Trump approved New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's request to start using the Javits Center to care for COVID-19 patients.
The convention center was turned into a 2,500-bed emergency medical facility that is run by the U.S. Army.
The initial plan was for the facility to take non-coronavirus patients from other hospitals to open up more beds, however, on Thursday morning, Cuomo asked the president if the facility can accept COVID-19 patients instead as the number of positive cases continues to skyrocket.
Trump announced he approved the request during Thursday's Coronavirus Task Force update from the White House.
"And so we're going to be converting that to a COVID-19 hospital," Trump said. "And it's going to be staffed by the military and by the federal government. And based on the fact that I agreed to that, we had two other facilities that were likewise asking for it. And that would be in Louisiana, and also in Dallas. And we'll be doing those. We spoke to the governor of Louisiana, spoke to the governor of Texas."
New York is also preparing the South Beach Psychiatric Center on Staten Island to accept COVID-19 patients with an additional 260 beds.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE
See how our communities are making a difference
Free educational resources for parents and children
How you can help victims of coronavirus
Coronavirus news and live updates in New York
Coronavirus news and live updates in New Jersey
Coronavirus news and live updates in Connecticut
How coronavirus is leaving ghost towns in its path
Coronavirus prevention: how clean are your hands?
Social distancing: What is it and how does it stop the spread of coronavirus?
Coronavirus closures and cancelations
Coronavirus tips: What Americans need to know
Related Information
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
