The West Wales region opened the doors to their Parc y Scarlets home to tackle expected overspill from hospitals dealing with the Covid-19 health crisis.
The decision to hand over their stadium to help relieve the strain on services was reached discussions with the Carmarthen County Council and the Hywel Dda University Health Board.
Scarlets general manager of rugby Jon Daniels said: “Community has always been a huge part of what the Scarlets is about and in unprecedented times like these communities stick together.
“The health service and workers are doing an incredible job in challenging circumstances and we are happy to be offering help and support in any way we can.
“We would urge everyone to follow the latest NHS advice on protecting themselves from the virus, particularly to stay at home and avoid unnecessary travel.”
The main stadium, as well as their Juno Moneta Indoor Arena, have been handed over to help the NHS respond to the growing strain on their local services. Carmarthen Leisure Centre and the the Selwyn Samuel Centre will also be used by NHS workers.
Dr Phil Kloer, medical director and deputy chief executive at Hywel Dda, said: “Delivering these additional beds for patients will be essential to help us manage patient flow over the coming weeks and we are extremely grateful for all of the support that we are receiving from our local authority partner to help make this happen.
“We have followed the situation in Italy closely to learn where possible and to help our planning. Our European colleagues have provided feedback that patient flow and throughput is a critical factor in response to COVID-19 pressures.”
Cllr Jane Tremlett, Carmarthenshire County Council’s executive board member for health and social care, said: “It is only through working together that we can meet these challenges. I would like to thank Llanelli Town Council and Parc y Scarlets for their support.”
