Kings' former home, Sleep Train Arena, could become coronavirus hospital

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Have the Sacramento Kings found an alternative use for Sleep Train Arena?

The Army Corps of Engineers is planning to turn the team’s former home into a 360-bed coronavirus hospital as California braces for a potential increase in need for hospital beds.

“California, I think in Sacramento, we’re looking around 360 [beds], some of those are COVID, some of those are non-COVID,” Army Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite told reporters this week. “That’s just in the Sleep Train Arena out in Sacramento where we’ve been asked to look.”

According to Lt. Gen. Semonite, Sleep Train, like many convention centers around the country, can be broken into separate areas and quickly converted into hospital-like settings to handle the expected increase in cases on COVID-19 in the coming weeks.

The Sacramento Bee was first on this story. According to their reporting, “The Army Corps of Engineers is supporting the state of California under a FEMA mission assignment to provide planning and site assessments for alternate care facilities in California.”

The Kings left Sleep Train Arena following the 2015-16 season upon the completion of Golden 1 Center. 

Built in 1988, the building formerly known as Arco Arena, mostly has been empty since. Most of the seating areas were cleared out a few years ago as the team has searched for a redevelopment plan for the building.

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Currently, the Stockton Kings, the team’s G League affiliate, use the practice facility and attached office space as its headquarters. 

According to the Bee, no deal has been finalized, but this is one of the sites the Corps of Engineers is considering as they look to open eight potential mobile hospitals across the state.

We will have more on this possibility as information becomes available. The Kings have yet to comment on this plan.

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