Statement on Conversion of Walter E. Washington Convention Center into an Alternate Care Facility
(Washington, DC) – April 17, 2020 – Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the Walter E. Washington Convention Center is converting 473,000 square feet of exhibit space (Halls A, B, C) into an approximately 1,200-bed alternate care facility. The site is designed to alleviate the strain on DC’s hospitals in anticipation of the surge in positive COVID-19 cases. When needed, the convention center facility will primarily treat non-acute COVID-19 patients.
In coordination with Mayor Bowser’s office, the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA), the DC Department of Health and Events DC, the Army Corp of Engineers will be responsible for overseeing the construction of the temporary alternate care facility at the Convention Center. The build-out is expected to be fully completed within approximately 30 days. Upon construction completion, the operations of the temporary facility will be managed by the medical provider, MedStar Health.
Once operational, the temporary facility will operate on a month-to-month basis until Mayor Bowser and her team determine that the additional capacity at the Convention Center is no longer needed to support the COVID-19 efforts. At that time, Events DC will coordinate with the mayor to plan the resumption of its operations.
