Chief Minister John Le Fondré announced going into the Easter bank holiday weekend that a 180-bed temporary hospital would be built on Millbrook playing fields specifically for patients struck down by the coronavirus.
The large and flat site was selected to accommodate a prefabricated building and to allow beds to be set out in long rows with the aim of enabling nurses to work most efficiently.
Following the announcement, Deputy Kirsten Morel raised concerns about the impact on the local area, which is in his St Lawrence constituency.
He said that the main concern was the risk of infection being passed on, rather than disruption due to the construction work.
‘There’s a really strong sense that people feel that we are in this together and people are doing their bit,’ he said. ‘The thing that people have raised concerns to me about is whether there is a greater chance they will catch the virus because they are close to the hospital.
‘They know that coronavirus is airborne and can be transferred through the air. Ministers have provided us with assurance that the Nightingale Hospital will operate as a full hospital would and there is no greater chance of catching the virus in the area.’
Deputy Morel said he had been advised by the government that most of the external works at the site should be completed within a week.
He added that he had been advised that access to the Nightingale Hospital should be provided from entrances on both the Inner Road and Victoria Avenue.
A government spokesperson said there had only been two formal complaints about the construction of the Nightingale Hospital, both of which had been resolved. ‘One was in relation to language being used on the site and the other related to vibration,’ they said.
‘The level of vibration was within safe limits and this was explained to the complainant.’
Workers have come from the UK to carry out work on the facility but have not had to self-isolate as they are classed as essential, a government spokesperson said. A Jersey firm is due to complete work on the inside of the temporary hospital. The JEP has asked for more details.
A total of 16 sites were considered for the temporary hospital with buildings such as Fort Regent and hotels rejected because they could not accommodate the Nightingale Hospital configuration.
Unanswered questions
The JEP asked the government the following questions but have not yet received a response:
Why will the Nightingale Hospital have 180 beds?
What statistics and analysis were used to arrive at that number?
Do we have enough staff to man an extra 180-bed hospital?
