Coronavirus: Hospital sets up ‘mobile morgues’ as precaution

CONCORD, N.C. — A North Carolina hospital has set up "mobile morgues" as a precautionary measure as it prepares for the possibility of a large number of deaths because of the coronavirus.

Atrium Health confirmed it has set up the "mobile morgues" outside the emergency room at Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord. Residents were alarmed Thursday at the sight of the two large, white containers.

“That’s just not good for people’s morale in a time like this,” Joshua Seeler said.

Officials said it is accurate to call them “mobile morgues,” but they stress that the move is precautionary.

Hospital officials urged the public to do its part by following social distancing and stay-at-home orders. They said how quickly COVID-19 spreads is directly dependent on the community.

Hospital officials said in a statement:

"As part of our ongoing pandemic planning, we are coordinating and working with every hospital in our system to prepare for the anticipated influx of COVID-19 patients in the weeks ahead.

"This includes decreasing non-essential appointments and procedures early on, our emphasis on virtual health visits and identifying extra available space for patients.

"We are also preparing for the possibility there may be a higher number of patients who succumb to COVID-19.

"The extent of how fast COVID-19 will spread, the impact it has, and our ability to serve the community during this state of emergency is directly dependent on how well our community observes the physical distancing and stay-at-home orders in place today.

“We continue to urge the community to do their part in flattening the curve. These measures underscore how vitally important it is for the community to observe stay-at-home and physical distancing orders in place.”