Vw converts old plant in sud africa into corona clinic
With federal government support, volkswagen is converting an old factory into a corona clinic in south africa. The medical facility in port elizabeth in eastern cape province will be rough enough for up to 4,000 beds, said thomas schafer, head of VW south africa.
The first part of the clinic, with about 1400 beds, will be ready in six to seven weeks, schafer said. After that, VW says the clinic will be enlarged according to demand. Operator will be the government.
VW had the approximately 66.000 square meters of rough factory not used since the end of last year, according to schafer, and was in the process of selling it off. The sudafrican ministry of public works and infrastructure is not aware of any other companies in sudafrica that have done anything similar so far in the corona crisis, according to a spokeswoman.
The conversion is being financed by the german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development (BMZ). “We will either defeat the coronavirus together worldwide or not at all,” minister gerd muller (CSU) announced. “If we do not act globally, the virus will return to germany and europe in waves”.”
The BMZ is supporting the conversion of the factory and the supply of protective clothing to hospitals and test centers in the region with around 5.2 million euros, a spokesman said. VW contributes 28 million rand (about 1.4 million euro) to the clinic, according to schafer.
Sud africa has more covid-19 cases than any other country in africa, with at least 7220 confirmed cases. So far, according to the pan african health agency africa CDC, 138 people have died of the lung disease in sud africa.
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