Problems with two out of three industrial washing machines has cut the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s laundry capacity, as the island braces itself for the possible impact of a potential killer coronavirus.

However, a spokeswoman for BHB said a back-up plan had “ensured that there has been no impact to services at BHB” as outside laundries had been pressed into service.

She added: “Our mitigation strategy also covers dealing with surges. This has to be planned for, as surges can happen at any time, due to flu or major incidents, event without the new coronavirus.”

The spokeswoman said the BHB laundry department had four heavy-duty washing machines, but that one had not been in use for “many years”.

She added that the three operational machines had all suffered breakdowns.

The spokeswoman said: “Two of the machines went down this week, and one in mid-February.

“One of them has been repaired with parts fabricated by a local machinist and is already back in operation.

“The two other machines require overseas parts which have been ordered, and the parts are expected next week.”

The spokeswoman said that BHB was able to meet demand with “at least two, and certainly with three, machines”.

She added: “If the overseas parts arrive as expected, we should be able to fully support our internal needs by the end of next week.”

The information was released after questions sent to the BHB by The Royal Gazette yesterday.

The spokeswoman said that the laundry department was used by the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute in Devonshire, as well as group homes.

She added: “Because it is a critical support service, we have mitigation and emergency plans in the event of a critical failure and this plan has been activated.

“This includes outsourcing work to a local company, who is able to help until we are back to full capacity.

“The immediate activation of our plan has ensured that there has been no impact to services at BHB.”

The spokeswoman said that in the long term the BHB had planned “a more extensive laundry upgrade with new equipment”.

She added: “This is currently going through internal approval processes.”