The 1,000-bed hospital ship the USNS Comfort arrived in New York to assist healthcare professionals in the city.
The hospital ship’s 1,000 beds will be used to treat patients who are not infected with the coronavirus to free up hospital beds across the city.
The Defense Department shared a video of the Comfort sailing into New York Harbor on Monday morning:
LIVE: #USNSComfort arrives in New York in support of the DOD’s #COVID19 response efforts. (no sound) https://t.co/fajV9TUGSd
— Department of Defense ?? (@DeptofDefense) March 30, 2020
USNS Comfort passes the Statue of Liberty as it enters New York Harbor.
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 30, 2020
(Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters) pic.twitter.com/scYz5gjeAC
Speaking in New York City as the Comfort arrived, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said, “On behalf of all 19 million New Yorkers, we are very grateful for what the people of this nation have done for us, and we will return the favor.”
Cuomo tweeted a picture of him in front of the Comfort as it sailed by, “Welcome to New York, [USNS Comfort.]”
Welcome to New York, @USNSComfort.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 30, 2020
We knew from the outset that expanded hospital capacity was critical.
We asked and the federal government answered.
This ship is a step forward in our fight against Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/r6Hj8NL9JH
The Comfort set sail from Norfolk Naval Station on Saturday, bound for New York, and President Donald Trump delivered remarks in front of the ship before it set sail.
“This great ship behind me is a 70,000-ton message of hope and solidarity to the incredible people of New York, a place I know very well, a place I love,” Trump said.
He added, “We’re here for you. We’re fighting for you, and we’re with you all the way, and we always will be.”
Earlier this month, Trump said that he was deploying the Comfort to New York and its sister ship, USNS Mercy, to Los Angeles to assist medical professionals in California.
The Comfort was undergoing maintenance at Norfolk that was supposed to take two weeks but was completed in just over a week.
The arrival of the Comfort comes as the Army Corps of Engineers has been setting up field hospitals across the city to treat non-coronavirus patients.
