A temporary mortuary is being prepared in a hangar at Prestwick Airport as officials make plans to deal with a rapid rise in local coronavirus deaths.
All three Ayrshire local authorities are working together on the plan, which has been revealed just a few days Glasgow City Council said it was turning a warehouse in Hillington Industrial Estate into a body storage facility.
A joint statement from North, East and South Ayrshire Councils said: “As part of our contingency measures in relation to Covid-19, we have taken an all Ayrshire approach to facilitate a temporary body storage facility adjacent to Prestwick Airport.
“The three Ayrshire Councils are in regular contact with the NHS and funeral directors across the region to assess their capacity to manage any additional deaths throughout this period.
“The Prestwick facility will only be used in the event that funeral directors can no longer manage any additional deaths .”
Other local authorities are making similar plans. Plans to use a disused aircraft hangar as a temporary mortuary have been agreed between Moray Council and the Ministry of Defence.
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