Big Box Transforms Into Covid-19 Care Facility For Thousands Of Patients
Once known for being a bustling retail mall, Big Box has been left empty and deserted since last year.
Recently, the mall has been converted into a Covid-19 community care facility (CCF).
These facilities isolate and care for patients with mild Covid-19 symptoms.
Located in an old mall, this CCF is the first of its kind in Singapore.
Big Box can cater to 2,900 Covid-19 patients
Big Box has been used as a large-scale CCF since 4 July. It has been integral in catering to the west side of Singapore.
The mall can accommodate and provide medical services for up to 2,900 patients.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, only the 1st to 3rd floors of Big Box are used as a care facility. Other floors like the basement and 4th floor car park are still open to the public.
Areas used for Covid-19 patients are fenced off from the public with strict security.
In a Facebook post on 30 Jul, the security company managing Bix Box announced they were currently housing 1,200 patients. Close to 100 security officers were deployed there.
Hired back in June, the company trained about 200 staff to prepare for operations at the CCF.
Sole Covid-19 care facility located in the west
The re-utilising of Big Box as a care facility came with authorities’ announcement that they would increase the capacity of CCFs to 20,000.
Pre-existing community care facilities included NTUC D’Resort, Singapore Expo, and Changi Exhibition Centre.
Changi Exhibition Centre community care facility
Source
Big Box is a great addition to the list of CCFs that are mainly concentrated in the East side of Singapore.
In a statement by Ministry of Health, as of Sunday (16 Aug), 3,685 people are currently isolated in various community facilities.
Number of community facilities will be adjusted according to needs
The Ministry of Health (MOH) reportedly said CCFs were designed to be able to expand and contract according to current needs.
If need be, facilities could be re-opened to provide about 20,000 beds to patients.
As more people recover and leave hospitals, authorities will gradually close or reserve community facilities for use accordingly.
Authorities are well prepared
The road to Singapore’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic is a long and unpredictable one.
Even in the daily operations of a community care facility, we see how all frontline workers – from medical staff to security – play a crucial role.
We are thankful that our authorities have managed our resources well to provide adequate care for all Covid-19 patients.
Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
