Hall 7 (Victoria Eugenia) offers 450 beds since Wednesday
Extension of the sheltering centre for people in situation of vulnerability in the Montjuïc venue
The sheltering centre for people in situation of vulnerability located in Hall 7 of the Montjuic venue has been extended this Wednesday with 225 extra beds added to those opened last week as a result of the confinement measures imposed. In this way, the capacity of this temporary space enabled in the facilities that Fira de Barcelona has made available to the City Council is doubled.
Beds, showers, dining room, service areas, as well as resting and activities spaces, have been set up with the aim of guaranteeing food, safety and hygiene to all the people housed, complying with the protocols and recommendations of health authorities. Now the centre has 450 beds, a number that could be increased to 1,000 if needed, in a 6,000 m2 space.
This extension has been possible thanks to the collaboration of the Barcelona City Council and its department of Social Rights, the Military Emergency Unit (UME), the Spanish Army, the Fire Brigade, the Local Police and Fira de Barcelona. These entities have participated in the build-up of a facility that will be managed by the Fundación Salud y Comunidad.
In the past few days, Fira de Barcelona has launched several initiatives to contribute to mitigate the effects of the serious health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to the Montjuïc Hall 7 sheltering centre, the institution is also collaborating with the Ministry of Health of the Government of Catalonia in setting up a temporary hospital in the Gran Via venue. Likewise, the central kitchen of that venue has prepared over 17,000 meals that are being distributed in hospitals and nursing homes and Fira has donated two tons of food to soup kitchens in collaboration with the NGO Nutrición Sin Fronteras.
Barcelona, April 3rd 2020