Workers are building a makeshift morgue outside of Bellevue Hospital to handle an expected surge in Coronavirus victims.
The decision to erect this makeshift morgue comes after President Donald Trump declared the beginning of the end of the coronavirus crisis in the United States on Tuesday and called for a quick end to social distancing, even as New York's governor compared the growing pandemic to a "bullet train." As of Wednesday, more than 30,800 cases had been confirmed in New York, an increase of more than 5,000 overnight. As of right now, at least 285 people have died, with Elmhurst Hospital reporting that they lost 13 patients in just 24 hours to Coronavirus.
The measure, which has been used in the past during mass casualty events like 9/11, falls within the purview of the city emergency declaration that Mayor Bill de Blasio signed weeks ago, a spokesperson for the mayor's office said.