The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) has been converted into a field hospital. This will ease the strain on other medical facilities in anticipation of a peak in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Western Cape.
President Cyril Ramaphosa made his way there today [June 5] to take a look at the facility himself. He was accompanied by Western Cape Premier Alan Winde. As the biggest field hospital in the country, the facility has been named “The Hospital of Hope” and will continue on as such during the challenging times ahead.
#COVID19 | President @CyrilRamaphosa arrives at the @CTICC_Official where he is received by Western Cape Premier @AlanWinde. The President is spending the day in the Western Cape, where he will be assessing the provincial response to the COVID-19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/WedIsCitYQ
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) June 5, 2020
Winde is expected to give President Ramaphosa an update on the province’s health system preparedness in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the province is the epicentre of virus in South Africa.
Mayor Dan Plato says some of the most important times for the CTICC are still ahead.
“The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) has been an important part of the City of Cape Town’s economy through the hosting of major local and international events, as well as some of the world’s biggest conferences, and in the process creating thousands of jobs. However, its greatest – and most important – use appears to be in the coming weeks. The CTICC –1 building is available to expand our health services until the 27th of July, with an option to extend this on a month-to-month basis until the end of the year,” said Plato.
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Picture: Facebook/Alan Winde