Regarding the field hospital, the Belo Horizonte city government said they received an indecent proposal from the State Secretary of Infrastructure and Mobility.
Last Monday (6), the Belo Horizonte City Hall announced that it will no longer use the Esplanada do Mineirão as a field hospital. The decision was announced by Mayor Alexandre Kalil, in a press conference at the municipal executive headquarters.
According to the mayor, the space was offered by the concessionaire that manages the stadium and the construction of the hospital had already been agreed with Governor Romeu Zema, since Mineirão belongs to the state. However, according to Kalil, a last-minute change made it impossible.
“The state government did not give the esplanade to the Belo Horizonte City Hall. Unfortunately, they said, even though I had already personally arranged it with the governor, but then a secretary, Marco Aurélio Barcelos, came. He made an immoral, indecent and political proposal to give up the space (sic),” said Kalil.
According to the mayor, the new field hospitals will be set up at Santa Casa, Hospital São Francisco and Hospital São José.
In a statement, Seinfra (State Secretariat for Infrastructure and Mobility) reported that it had already made materials available to the municipal Executive for the assembly of a field hospital, but the equipment is from a private company contracted by the government. Therefore, the two agencies would need to work together.
The department also pointed out that the stadium is at the disposal of the Belo Horizonte City Hall, as a way of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Seinfra's note in full:
“The State Secretariat for Infrastructure and Mobility (Seinfra) reinforces that all measures aimed at combating the Coronavirus and its effects are important and deserve the full support of the authorities and organized civil society. In this context, it clarifies that the previous week, the Mineirão Stadium had been made available to the Municipal Government of Belo Horizonte for the assembly of a field hospital, free of charge.
However, since the facility is managed by a private company hired by the State of Minas Gerais, it was reported that joint action by both entities would be necessary to carry out the project. The Municipal Health Department was informed that the Seinfra teams were on standby to carry out all necessary legal and operational measures.
The Secretariat reiterates that Mineirão remains at the disposal of the Municipal Government of Belo Horizonte for the implementation of actions aimed at combating COVID-19. Finally, it emphasizes that the opportunity to act together with municipal authorities in this time of crisis is independent of preferences or any electoral context.”