Alternate Care Site for opens at IVC

Facility will provide extra space for coronavirus patients

IMPERIAL, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Imperial County reopened an Alternate Care Site (ACS) Thursday morning at Imperial Valley College (IVC) to care for coronavirus patients.

The ACS will, once again, be located in the college's gym. Doctors will transfer less-serious patients, who are close to discharge, from the hospital to the facility.

The site is reserved for COVID patients. It will not offer direct care to the public.

The ACS was originally established at the end of May. It closed at the end of August, when new cases of coronavirus declined. However, it was kept in a "warm" status. That means health officials kept a limited amount of equipment in the gym in case it should be needed again.

The reopening comes in response to the recent surge in new cases. Imperial County say a 213 case increase on Thursday alone.