A hotel owned by Cristiano Ronaldo debunked a false claim that he is turning it into a makeshift coronavirus hospital

A hotel owned by Cristiano Ronaldo debunked a false claim that he is turning it into a makeshift coronavirus hospital

03/16/2020
  • A Lisbon hotel owned by Cristiano Ronaldo has debunked a false claim that it would turn itself into a makeshift coronavirus hospital.
  • MARCA reported on Sunday that Ronaldo was preparing to turn The Pestana CR7 Hotel, Lisbon, into an infirmary for people who had contracted the virus.
  • "We are a hotel. We are not going to be a hospital," a spoke person for the hotel told RTL Nieuws shortly after: "We are and will remain a hotel."
  • MARCA has since deleted the story and all social media posts about it, according to Juventus news site JuveFC. Insider was unable to find any reference to the story on MARCA's site.
  • Ronaldo is currently in self-quarantine in his place of birth, Madeira, following the news his Juventus teammate Daniele Rugani had tested positive for COVID-19.
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A hotel owned by Cristiano Ronaldo has debunked a false rumor that it would turn itself into a makeshift hospital to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic. 

Spanish newspaper Marca reported that Ronaldo was preparing to turn The Pestana CR7 Hotel, Lisbon, into a facility to treat people who have contracted the virus.

Portugal currently has 245 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with no reported deaths.

It was also reported the Juventus forward would pay the wages of the doctors and staff. 

A spokesperson for the hotel however has since denied the claims, telling RTL Nieuws: "We are a hotel. We are not going to be a hospital. It is a day like everyone else, we are and will remain a hotel. We are being phoned by the press. I wish you a nice day."

MARCA has since deleted the story and all social media posts about it, according to Juventus news site JuveFC. Insider was unable to find any reference to the story on MARCA's site.

Ronaldo has yet to publicly comment on the matter. 

The 34-year-old former Real Madrid star is currently in self-quarantine in his place of birth, Madeira, after news broke that his Juventus teammate, Daniele Rugani, had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Ronaldo had originally flown home to see his mother on March 9 and was set to fly back to Italy three days later, however after news of Rugani's illness broke, he remained in Portugal. Ronaldo and Rugani had been in the same squad which beat Inter Milan on March 8. 

"The world is going through a very difficult moment which demands the utmost care and attention from all of us," Ronaldo wrote in a post on Instagram on Saturday.

"I speak to you today not as a football player, but as a son, father, a human being concerned with the latest developments that is affecting the whole world.

"It is important we all follow the advice of WHO (World Health Organization) and the governing bodies on how we handle this current situation. Protecting human life must come above any other interests.

"I would like to send my thoughts to everyone who has lost someone close to them, my solidarity to those who are fighting the virus, like my team-mate Daniele Rugani, and my continued support to the amazing health professionals putting their own lives at risk to save others."

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