Coronavirus In Sacramento: Sleep Train Arena To Officially Begin Construction To Transform Into Surge Hospital
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services officially announced plans for the Sacramento Kings' former home, the Sleep Train Arena, to be transformed into a surge hospital to provide critical medical care for coronavirus patients, and Gov. Gavin Newsom said that construction is set to begin on Friday.
The facility is expected to house 360 hospital beds along with additional hospital services to treat patients suffering from COVID-19.
The Sacramento Kings announced that they will also be contributing to the cause by donating $250,000 to support organizations in the area providing essential services and supplies to those in need during the pandemic. The team will also be donating 100,000 masks to state and local health officials.
"Our community has always come first, and that is more important now than ever," Kings' owner Vivek Ranadivé said in a statement. "The Kings are proud to help by providing additional space to accommodate a predicted surge in patients. We are also donating masks to help keep people healthy, and critical resources to area organizations that are addressing food insecurity and other issues as a result of the coronavirus. I have always been in awe of the resilience and ingenuity of the American people and firmly believe that together, we will defeat this invisible enemy."
