Plans are being finalized to set up a 125 bed field hospital inside the Redding Civic Auditorium. That was chosen as the location by the Army Corps of Engineers and a coalition of health care providers. They decided to place it there because of the proximity to Redding’s regular hospitals. It should be set up by next week, but it will not be operational unless a severe surge of Coronavirus patients floods Mercy and Shasta Regional. The field hospital is to be used for non-COVID patients in the event that more space is needed in the two major hospitals for COVID patients, where they have the capability of expanding their “negative pressure” areas that prevent contaminated air from circulating out.