SINGAPORE - The F1 Pit Building in Marina Bay is being converted into a medical facility for Covid-19 patients.

Dozens of people were seen walking inside the building when The Straits Times visited on Thursday (Oct 28) afternoon.

A few were working on the facade of the building, while several others were wearing polo shirts with "security" printed on the back. Inside the facility, there were hundreds of beds already set up.

Several signs for "triage stations" were pasted on the walls, with machines and what appeared to be screening stations set up below them.

Within the complex, the halls have been partitioned into various sections with numbered beds that went into the 600s. Partitions were installed between them.

Triage refers to the process of deciding which patients should be treated first based on how sick or injured they are.

Five workers told ST that the facility is meant to care for Covid-19 patients.

The two main types of facilities for such patients are community care facilities and Covid-19 treatment facilities.

Community care facilities are meant for those who have tested positive for Covid-19 and are generally well but need to be isolated for various reasons.

Covid-19 treatment facilities are for patients who are generally well but have underlying health conditions that require closer monitoring, and who may be at risk of developing severe illness.

These facilities have the medical capabilities and resources, including oxygen supplementation, to safely manage such patients.

No patients have yet been admitted to the facility, but the workers said preparations are almost done and the facility will open in November.

Ms Ong Ling Lee, director of sports at the Singapore Tourism Board, told ST that the Government has been looking for venues that can be used as temporary Covid-19 community care facilities and community treatment facilities.

"The F1 pit building has been identified as a suitable temporary venue as it has ready facilities and is not used for F1 race activities this year," she said, adding that the building had been used as a temporary swab test facility in 2020.

In June this year, it was announced that the Singapore F1 Grand Prix would be cancelled for a second year in a row due to Covid-19. The race had been scheduled to take place from Oct 1 to Oct 3.