TWO more schools have handed over their facilities to health workers battling coronavirus.
Malone College and Methodist College, both in Belfast, are the latest to offer support.
They follow St Malachy's College in north Belfast, which agreed a request to support medical staff caring for Covid-19 patients in the nearby Mater Hospital.
Special permission has been given to knock down part of a listed wall separating the two sites. This will allow hospital staff to move freely between the Mater and St Malachy's without encountering the public.
Now, Malone College in south Belfast has said it is handing over its site to give NHS staff access to respite services. Staff from the adjoining Musgrave Park Hospital will use its new sports hall, mainly showering and changing facilities.
"This has taken a few days to finalise but we are so proud of all the work our friends in the NHS are doing that we wanted to help in any way we could," said principal Katrina Moore.
Pupils of key workers who require supervision will be accommodated in nearby Hunterhouse College.
Meanwhile, staff at Belfast City Hospital have been given permission to use facilities at Methodist College.
The City Hospital's tower block is Northern Ireland's first Nightingale hospital.
The Belfast Trust has also accepted an offer from the school for healthcare staff to use facilities.
No children will not come into contact with healthcare workers as they will only to use specific areas of the vast campus.
