San Diego Hotel Rooms shelters Dozens in Quarantine, as Part of Prevention Efforts

In San Diego County, dozens of people are staying in coordinated hotel rooms at Project Room Key to stop the spread of the pandemic.

A woman, who hesitated to share her identity, said that she is homeless since the pandemic as she didn’t wish to burden her family.

San Diego Hotel Rooms shelters Dozens in Quarantine, as Part of Prevention Efforts

Her brother has newborn babies, and her mother is a heart patient. Since everyone in her family is really fragile, she doesn’t want to make any of them sick.

She said that she has been at the Convention Center, but last week, one of her neighbors came down with the coronavirus. 

The country reported that from March to December 31, 229 staff and shelter clients were tested positive.

The woman said that on New Year’s Eve, she was shifted to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Mission Valley in isolation by an ambulance. During which she feared that she would also get contracted with the coronavirus. 

She feels secure and thankful for the way she is treated in the hotel. She thanked everyone who was involved in the arrangements and those who risked their lives.

She said that the last time she saw someone face to face was on December 30.

The people in Quarantine at the hotel are well treated by the authority. They are given their own thermometer to check their temperature usually and under observation. They are also provided with services like food and laundry. 

There is a guard on each floor of the hotel to ensure that everyone stays in their rooms. The security that is deployed outside makes sure that no one comes or leaves the hotel. 

The people in the hotel are tested today, and on Wednesday, the results will be released. 

If the test shows negative results, the people are set to be released soon. In case anyone tests positive, he/she has to stay at the hotel at least for another 10 days.  

Approximately 1,700 hotel rooms across the region are initially arranged to support isolation, quarantine, recovery, and prevention measures in San Diego.

Around 440 of the rooms are approved to support the prevention measures. The rest of the rooms are identified for public health needs related to the pandemic.

To coordinate the logistics for the 440 approved rooms, the Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTFH) agreed to function with the City of San Diego and San Diego County.

Until now, around half of the rooms have been assigned, and currently, there are no hotel rooms available.

RTFH is also planning to make more rooms available to temporarily shelter individuals who are in underlying medical conditions or at least 65 years of age and those who can effortlessly lead the daily living activities.