As Spain fights coronavirus,? Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium will be used as a makeshift storage facility as country faces an uphill battle against the virus, the club has announced.?
Spain is second only to Italy in numbers of deaths due to the virus, with the toll passing 4000 on Thursday. Over 56,000 people have so far tested positive for the coronavirus in the country.
The lockdown in Spain is expected to be extended once the initial 15-day measure is completed this weekend.
Record Spanish and European champions said in a statement,?"Thanks to the close collaboration between the two institutions, the Santiago Bernabeu stadium will be turned into an adapted space used to store donations of medical supplies in the fight against the pandemic."
"All of this material will be given to the Spanish health authorities, who are under the authority of the government, in order that the resources be used optimally and efficiently, which is necessary given the current emergency.
"The club will also allow entities and businesses, especially those linked to sport, the possibly to make donations, either economic or in the form of materials required by the Ministry of Health."
The country is one of the worst effected by the novel virus and the government is taking extreme measures to contain the spread. A fortnight ago,?Spanish government moved to nationalise all private hospitals in a bid to combat the coronavirus.?
The football clubs and athletes are also putting their hand up and helping by donating to hospitals and charities.??
Earlier, Argentine and Barcelona star Lionel Messi?had donated €1 million to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, splitting the money between medical centres in Spain and his native Argentina.? ?
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos?and his wife Pilar Rubio?will donate 264,571 masks, 1,000 items of protective equipment and 15,000 tests to help in the fight against coronavirus in Spain.
The donation from the Real Madrid captain and his partner will be made through international NGO, Unicef, for which the Spanish defender is also a global ambassador.