Temporary mortuary built in Westminster as coronavirus fatalities predicted to rise
By Owen Sheppard
A temporary mortuary has been built in central London in preparation for a predicted rise in the number of fatalities from coronavirus.
Located beside Westminster Coroner’s Court in Horseferry Road, it takes the form of a large white tent and has capacity for 112 bodies.
Similar arrangements were made following the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017, in which 72 people were killed.
A Westminster Council spokesperson said: “We have plans in place to increase the capacity of our mortuary at Horseferry Road as part of a London wide response to the coronavirus outbreak.
“This is a precautionary step and similar arrangements are made during any London wide response to incidents. We hope and trust that this will not be needed but it is sensible to prepare at this stage.”
Erected yesterday, the mortuary will be used for deceased patients in the boroughs of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea.
These areas had been experiencing the highest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases since the outbreak began.
As of 9am today, March 20, Westminster had 78 confirmed cases.
Pictured above: Westminster Coroners Court