Coronavirus field hospital opens in UK

Prince Charles opened a new 4,000-bed temporary hospital in a conference centre in east London on Friday, the first of several being built in Britain to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

The new state-run National Health Service (NHS) Hospital is named after the trailblasing 19’th-century nurse Florence Nightingale and has been built in just nine days.

Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son and heir officially launched the facility via videolink from Scotland, where he has been in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. He paid tribute to everyone involved, calling it "quite frankly incredible" to have transformed the giant ExCeL centre into a critical care facility in such a short space of time. "I was one of the lucky ones to have COVID-19 relatively mildly," he said. "But for some, it will be a much harder journey.

"I am therefore so relieved that everyone can now have the reassurance that they will receive all the necessary technical care they may need, and every chance to return to a normal life." With Nightingale often named "The Lady of the Lamp" and seen as one of the founders of modern nursing, he said the name was appropriate.

"In this dark time, this place will place will be a shining light," the prince said, but added that he hoped it would not required for long. NHS Nightingale London will initially take 500 people in the coming days, said Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who has also tested positive for COVID-19.