City expands capacity at Flushing’s tennis center hospital

Mayor Bill de Blasio visited the temporary hospital at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

By David Brand

A temporary hospital on the practice courts at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park will have space for 470 beds, including 20 for intensive care patients, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday.

The city initially planned to open 350 beds at the home of the U.S Open tennis tournament.

De Blasio said the site will ease the burden on hospitals in Queens, which has emerged as the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in the United States. At least 27,759 Queens residents had tested positive for COVID-19 as of April 9.