A huge warehouse in East London which houses Britain’s new field hospital is usually a place where people go to have fun, celebrate beauty or gather to praise God.

Contestants in the UK heat of Miss World use the ExCeL Centre as a catwalk. It also hosts comic conventions, cookery shows and, twice a year, it celebrates the “Festival of Life”, organized by a Pentecostal church from Nigeria.

Now the ExCeL Centre in Docklands has become the Nightingale Hospital. It will care for up to four thousand people suffering from the effects of Covid-19.

Military effort

The hospital was erected at breakneck speed after the British army took charge of logistics. Airlines have dispatched cabin attendants to welcome patients into this strange new environment.

In normal circumstances, the Queen might have arrived in a Rolls Royce to open the building. However, Her Majesty is staying safe indoors after her eldest son, Prince Charles, was diagnosed with the virus and displayed mild symptoms. He is now out of self-isolation. Instead of a visit, the Royal Family expressed appreciation to the team at the Nightingale Hospital by sending a message through their official Twitter account.

Infections rising

The United Kingdom is expected to reach a peak of infections by the middle of April. The number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 who have died in hospital reached 2,352 by Tuesday evening, according to the Department of Health. Confirmed coronavirus cases rose by more than 1,000 to 29,474 as of Wednesday.