Chelsea are planning to open the Copthorne Hotel at Stamford Bridge to NHS workers requiring accommodation after the Millennium Hotel reached capacity.
The Copthorne Hotel has 160 rooms and will be available without charge to frontline staff between shifts or those who may have family members considered vulnerable or in self-isolation.
It is a move spearheaded by owner Roman Abramovich, who came up with the initial idea to open the Millennium Hotel at the beginning of the global health crisis in mid-March.
While the club have already revealed a commitment to local charities through their foundation, backed by first-team players who have donated a portion of their wages, senior staff members have been encouraged to come up with other proposals to assist key workers and the vulnerable.
Yesterday the club said that they would provide 78,000 meals for health and social care workers over an initial six weeks which will be available to the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs five hospitals in the area.
A club statement announcing the free meals yesterday read: "The meals, which are free of charge, are being prepared by our catering partner Levy and distributed daily for an initial period of six weeks, with 13,000 meals per week given.
“The initiative is aimed at helping NHS staff who are working long shifts and therefore may find it difficult to obtain good-quality food on a regular basis, and also forms part of our continued effort to support the most vulnerable in our community during the global coronavirus pandemic."
On Monday first team head coach Frank Lampard spoke of his pride at how Chelsea have reacted to the pandemic.
"I am very proud to be manager of this club and the way Chelsea have handled it," he said. “I think they were very quick to respond to help with the hotel, and a lot more of the work they have done with the foundation.
“Links up, getting in touch with fans, putting tutorials on. There are a lot of people at Chelsea who have stood up and put in a lot of good work."
