As the state gets closer to reopening, St. Francis Hospital has made the decision to close its mobile field hospital.
The move comes as Connecticut continues to see a downward trend of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
The mobile units were assembled by the Governor's Foot and Horse Guard on March 24. The efforts were apart of the hospital's emergency preparedness plan. The goal of the mobile unit was to provide an additional resource for medical staff in the event there was a surge in COVID19 cases.
On Tuesday, workers began taking down the mobile units right outside Saint Francis Hospital Emergency Department.
"Now that the surge is starting to come down, we're fortunate that we haven't had to use it," said Dr. John F. Rodis, president of St. Francis Hospital. "We're not out of the woods yet and we have to be careful."
Saint Francis tells NBC Connecticut that as the state begins to reopen, they're still focusing on making sure facilities are safe.
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"We're being very careful," said Dr. Rodis. "We have been implementing a lot of separations measures with COVID-free areas which are located away from where we treat patients.
The hospital says testing, along with social distancing is priorities, too.
"Testing will be critical as we move forward and start opening things up," said Dr. Rodis. "We have to continue the social separation and wearing a mask will be necessary until there is an effective vaccine."
Medical staff is urging the public to continue keeping their distance and take precautions.
"I think the public has to continue doing what they're doing," said Dr. Rodis. "I'm so appreciative of the fact that people have done what they've done."
