"We are aiming to be close to operational within a couple of weeks," says Scarlets general manager of rugby Jon Daniels
Monday 30 March 2020 07:26, UK
Scarlets have begun work to turn their Llanelli home ground into an NHS hospital, providing 500 extra beds to help tackle the coronavirus crisis.
It is expected that Parc y Scarlets will be opened as a temporary medical facility in a fortnight after work began to convert the site on Monday.
Carmarthenshire County Council is working to put hundreds of additional beds in place in the event they will be required by the NHS over the coming weeks.
Cardiff's Municipality Stadium will also be transformed into a hospital - with 2,000 beds - mirroring efforts elsewhere in the United Kingdom, including the three announced 'Nightingale Hospitals' in London, Birmingham and Manchester.
"Things have progressed very quickly and we are aiming to be close to operational within a couple of weeks," said Scarlets general manager of rugby Jon Daniels. "It is a big task and a big challenge, but everyone is pulling in the same direction.
"It is a contingency plan; as with everything with coronavirus, nobody knows how long it is going to last and how bad it could get.
"A lot depends on how vigilant we are in following the guidelines issued by the government and the NHS in terms of isolating ourselves and social distancing.
"The better we are at following those guidelines, hopefully the less need there will be for facilities such as this."
