Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim has approved an emergency plan with the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management to use the city”™s Webster Bank Arena as the site for hospital overflow.
The plan will enable Connecticut hospitals to use the venue as an alternative care site for patients in the event of a patient overflow due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The site will be equipped with 128 beds and medical equipment to care for ambulatory or mild symptomatic patients.
Equipment will begin to arrive at the arena beginning tomorrow. The facility would be overseen by the State Emergency Operations Center with assistance by the National Guard as needed.
“Bridgeport is in a unique situation being so close to New York City with Fairfield County being Connecticut”™s epicenter for coronavirus, representing two-thirds of our state”™s positive cases,” Ganim said. “In the last week, two of our residents succumbed to the virus and the number of positive coronavirus cases in Bridgeport tripled. We need to take as many proactive measures as we can to support government and healthcare officials by ensuring that emergency plans are in place to stay ahead of further devastating effects and support the health care system.”
The 10,000-seat multipurpose arena opened in October 2001 and is home to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League, which suspended play more than two weeks ago.
