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Army arrive at Ashton Gate in advance of mass vaccinations
Soldiers have arrived at Ashton Gate Stadium in advance of Bristol’s mass coronavirus vaccination programme, which could be one of the first in the UK to begin.
As previously reported in Bristol24/7, the army is set to take over part of the home to Bristol City Football Club and Bristol Bears rugby.
Tens of thousands of people every week could soon receive Covid-19 vaccines at the stadium, with North Bristol NHS Trust due to be overseeing the programme, describing it as “the largest immunisation programme of our time”.
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Due to the layout of the stadium, the vaccination programme could take place without impacting the continuation of professional sport, with the ground-floor concourses forming a U-shape joining three stands together internally with more than 3,500 square meters of space.
The army are keeping tight-lipped about their role in proceedings but they and other military personnel were at the stadium for several hours on Monday, with Bristol24/7 spotting two men in army fatigues in the concourse of the Lansdown Stand at 2.30pm on Monday afternoon.
Concourses like this one in the Lansdown Stand are joined together internally at Ashton Gate Stadium – photo: Martin Booth
In a statement, NHS England said that they are not in a position to confirm any details of the specific goings-on at Ashton Gate as there is no confirmed vaccine or timeframes.
But the jobs of seasonal flu & pandemic immuniser now being advertised by North Bristol NHS Trust say that “work would commence from December 2020”.
A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “The work at Ashton Gate is being coordinated by the army in preparation for the NHS-led vaccination programme.”
During an interview on BBC One’s Politics Live, the mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, added: “The aim is that we are ready for anything that comes along that allows us to work for the safety of our population, so we will make sure that everything that we’ve got is in place.”
Ashton Gate is the home to Bristol City and Bristol Bears – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: Mass Covid vaccinations could begin at Ashton Gate by early December
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