Related
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The United States Army Corps of Engineers are preparing to convert the Miami Beach Convention Center into a field hospital that, officials said, will serve to deal with overflow in case local hospitals deal with a crush of patients with COVID-19.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber confirmed the use of the large venue during his daily briefing on Tuesday.
“Today we learned that our convention center will be used by the State Department of Emergency Management as a temporary alternative care facility,” he said.
The retrofit has a budget of $22.5 million.
7News cameras captured surveying teams from the U.S. Army Corps Corps and contractors at the site Tuesday.
They met to determine how to transform half a million square feet of space into a field hospital containing at least 450 beds.
“The facility will be completed quickly and likely remain vacant, unless and until necessary,” said Gelber. “Please understand this is a precaution to ensure that we are fully prepared for a worst-case scenario.”
The convention center, known for hosting high-profile events like Art Basel and the NFL Fan Zone during the Super Bowl, is home to a total of one and a half million square feet of space.
A mobile command center was already parked outside, Tuesday afternoon. Inside it were rows of desks that will soon be filled with logistics teams leading the convention center’s transformation.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to tour the facility alongside other city and state leaders on Wednesday.
The Army Corps’ work should wrap up just as the pandemic is expected to reach its peak in South Florida.
Also on Tuesday, Miami Beach began implementing a new order where all employees and customers are required to wear masks inside grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants open for takeout. Failure to do so is considered a misdemeanor.
“I wish they had done it several weeks prior,” said Miami Beach resident Billy Stahl. “If we’re doing it now, why weren’t we doing it before when the virus was spreading?”
7News caught one man being turned away from entering a Publix on Dade Boulevard. He returned to the store after grabbing a T-shirt from his car and was able to come inside to shop.
Gelber said officers won’t arrest those who do not comply with the order, but they will not be allowed into stores.
“We can’t merely hope people comply with these best practices. Remember, as of this morning 58 people have died in Miami-Dade County, including some in our own city,” said Gelber.
“I’ve been wearing a bandana for about three or four weeks, but I just put the paper towel insert in between the bandana for extra protection,” said Stahl.
At the Trader Joe’s in South Beach, almost everyone waiting in line outside was wearing face coverings. A store clerk also sanitized shoppers hands as they entered the supermarket.
Meanwhile, 12 Miami Beach Police officers have been assigned to a new quarantine task force. They will be responding to calls about out-of-towners from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Louisiana not following a 14-day state-mandated quarantine.
“It’s part of the ordinance, part of the movement, if you will, to try to limit the spread of the virus,” said Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements. “In New York, it’s very bad right there right now, and we just don’t want that to come down to South Florida.”
Local leaders said they are doing everything they can to flatten the curve, but nothing beats social distancing and staying home.
According to the DoD’s website, the construction work on the makeshift medical facility has an estimated completion date of April 27.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.