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£2 million on Devon covid morgues

Friday, 26 June 2020 08:36

By Daniel Clark, local democracy reporter

This site of the covid mortuary at Kingskerswell

Prepared for 6,000 deaths

Costs of setting up temporary mortuaries in case they were needed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in Devon were in the region of £2m, it can be revealed.

Initial forecasts had around 6,000 deaths from covid-19 deaths in the county. That was on the high side. The current figure at  25 June is just 356.

The sites, including one at Kingskerswell close to the A380, have not been used.  

At a Devon County Council committee meeting this week chief executive Phil Norrey said: “We invested significantly but they were not needed. They are still there in animated suspension but hope they are never needed. We took the modelling response and the requests and delivered, but the fact they weren’t need is a bonus.”

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