BA2493/2719: The Emergency Operations Centre, a permanent facility at Fiona Stanley Hospital, 14 May 2020

Summary

Photographer's note: Fiona Stanley Hospital changes visiting regulations and enforces social distancing and sanitising rules. It sets up a COVID Command Centre (the photograph shows Project Manager of South Metropolitan Health Service's COVID-19 Command Centre set up at FSH, Sarah Hobson) as well as reviewing the readiness of the Emergency Operations Centre. Changes are implemented to accommodate a possible large number of infectious patients. Additionally, anticipating an increased number of deaths, a morturary overflow was established using 4 refrigerated sea containers located outside the loading ramp to the mortuary providing for an extra 200 bodies. Entrance to Emergency is altered so that any patient exhibiting symptoms of respiratory discomfort is isolated and tested for COVID-19. A COVID-19 testing clinic is set up in buildings separate to the main hospital. COVID-19 is caused by a COVID or coronavirus.