In Pictures: Moscow turns ice rink into COVID-19 hospital

Moscow turned to a temporary hospital built inside an ice rink to handle the influx of COVID-19 patients.

In Moscow, the Krylatskoe Ice Palace, known for hosting international speed skating competitions, is now on the frontline after being converted into a temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients. It opened last month.

The country of about 145 million people has started opening temporary clinics and re-purposing hospitals in the capital and other cities to relieve the strain on its medical system.

Though better resourced than other regions, authorities in Moscow are under severe pressure. They reported 6,360 new infections in the Russian capital on Monday.

More than 1,300 hospital beds equipped with oxygen tanks cover the former ice rink's 400-metre speed skating track, with more than 100 doctors and nurses deployed.

The facility is equipped with all necessary equipment to treat and diagnose the illness, including a CT scanner | A patient is seen before tomography at a temporary hospital in the Krylatskoye Ice Palace.

Medical specialists wearing protective gear look at the blocks of the temporary hospital in the Krylatskoye Ice Palace.

It is currently treating about 600 people, with between 60 to 80 new patients being admitted and released every day.

Despite a recent surge in cases, Russian authorities have resisted imposing lockdown restrictions across the country as they did earlier this year, stressing instead the importance of hygiene, social distancing and imposing targeted measures in certain regions.

A medical worker leads a qi gong session for patients at a temporary hospital in the Krylatskoye Ice Palace.