Spain is now the second worst affected country in Europe. With the country struggling to contain the outbreak and new deaths. There are 64,059 infected and 4,858 dead as of today.
Madrid is the most populated city in Spain and the main location for the virus. To manage the outbreak the government has already converted a local convention center into a hospital. With Fernando Simón, the director of Health Ministry’s Coordination Center for Health Alerts, stating that the hope is: “The peak [of infections] is probably going to be reached this week.”
In case the death toll continues to rise, the city of Madrid is in talks with the convention center turned hospital neighbor, Palacio del Hielo ice rink, to convert it into a makeshift morgue.
A report drafted by regional health authorities states that the Palacio del Hielo has “the necessary cold conditions to preserve the bodies,” which would be placed on “a surface made of polymer materials around two to three centimeters thick.” Coffins would be “duly identified” to prevent confusion.
The facility is not being converted as of yet, but waiting for the city to deem it necessary. If it does come to fruition, the Spanish army’s Emergency Military Unit (UME) will be responsible for transferring the deceased.