This morning, Covid-19 patients were transferred to the FIGC’s Training Centre for the first time. The hotel at Coverciano, which has been made available by the FIGC to help in the fight against the coronavirus, has opened its doors to guests from the ‘Il Bobolino’ nursing home in Florence, all of whom have tested positive for Covid-19 but are asymptomatic. The first four patients arrived in the morning, while ten more will be transferred either tomorrow or on Wednesday. There are 54 rooms that can be used along with all the common areas of the Federal Training Centre. This has come about thanks to an initiative supported by FIGC President Gabriele Gravina and undertaken in collaboration with Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence, and the USL Tuscany Centre, who have taken charge of the site that will be managed by the local health organisation and the Società della Salute.

This afternoon, Nardella visited the site with Maurizio Francini, the director of the Training Centre, who conveyed the well wishes of President Gravina. The mayor had the following to say: “This building at Coverciano will act as a perfect buffer between the various nursing homes we have in the city and our hospitals should an escalation occur.”

“I’d like to thank President Gravina from the heart,” said Stefania Saccardi, the Councillor for Health and Sport for the Region of Tuscany. “He has made this structure available to the Tuscan health authorities completely free of charge. We’ll be able to use the 54 rooms as a healthcare facility for those who have been affected in the region and also those who have been discharged from hospital.”

National Team Head Coach Roberto Mancini also commented on the initiative during an interview on Sky Sport 24: “President Gravina has done a wonderful thing. This has brought the National Team even closer to all Italians and all those who are particularly in need of help at this time.”