Valencian Community reveals it has ‘6,000 hospital beds’ on standby due to concerns of COVID-19 outbreaks from tourism

VALENCIA’S health ministry has revealed it has 6,000 hospital beds on standby should tourism create a new spike in coronavirus cases.

Emergency field hospitals have been set up in Spain’s Valencian Community, which includes the Costa Blanca and Costa Azahar regions, to coincide with the reopening of tourism on Sunday, June 21.

An emergency plan has also been unveiled to tackle potential new COVID-19 infections.

It comes as a fifth of all new coronavirus cases last week were ‘imported’ from outside of Spain, health emergency coordinator Fernando Simon revealed in a press briefing.

Three field hospitals that were installed – and never used – following Spain’s state of alarm announcement on March 14 are part of the contingency plan.

The temporary structures were put up next to existing hospitals in Alicante, Castellon, and La Fe in Valencia, providing over 1,500 beds.

The plan will additionally make use of beds in 57 hotels across the Valencian Community, as well as privately-owned healthcare facilities and the main halls of sports and conference centres.

This is in effect the same emergency plan to deal with Covid-19 cases in March and April if the pandemic got out of control.

Extra health staff and volunteers would also be drafted in.