QUARANTINE/ISOLATION SITE: King County amends plan after Kent incident
Received from the county this morning:
As King County’s response to COVID-19 evolves and to address community concerns, King County’s temporary housing units in Kent and White Center will be available for those individuals who are able to quarantine or isolate without the need of social services or additional supports.
On March 12, an individual experiencing homelessness and waiting test results for COVID-19 voluntarily responded to offers of service and took a room at the Kent motel currently used for isolation and quarantine.
At approximately 7:30 a.m., the individual disregarded the instructions of an onsite security guard and left the motel. The individual crossed Central Avenue North and entered a convenience store, where he allegedly shoplifted items before taking a northbound Route 153 King County Metro bus. The bus was taken out of service for cleaning and sanitation.
There have only been two people in this facility so far. The first individual tested negative and left the motel.
As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds and resources are rapidly moving to meet public health needs, King County is shifting the Kent and White Center sites to help people who do not need supportive social services.
Sites for those with behavioral health needs will be identified and staffed appropriately.
Public Health Seattle & King County expects that the vast majority of residents who are infected or who have symptoms will successfully isolate in their own homes. King County does not have a mandatory quarantine in place.
As we reported earlier this week, no one has been moved into the Top Hat facility yet, and the county says that might not happen for two weeks.
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March 13th, 2020 at 2:11 pm
This makes sense:
“As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds and resources are rapidly moving to meet public health needs, King County is shifting the Kent and White Center sites to help people who do not need supportive social services.
Sites for those with behavioral health needs will be identified and staffed appropriately.”
March 14th, 2020 at 11:03 am
So many have been warning us about the fragmentation of our society caused by income inequality. Even a Seattle billionaire has been making ominous predictions for years. I think we’re seeing the toxic effect amplifying this crisis. You can’t make a community safe when the very basic requirements of shelter, food and medical care are denied to so many. Our president is dismantling the food stamp program this week while millions of American hourly workers are forced to stay home with no income, no clear plan from the feds and timeframe for this crisis that gets longer every day. Under our current system we will have millions of Americans joining the ranks of the homeless at least those that don’t get sent home to die because there are only enough hospital beds and respirators for the rich. America the great, right? I think this crisis is showing us the hard truth about this country.
March 17th, 2020 at 7:08 am
I hope that the silver lining to this pandemic is that it forces us to ensure that people who work can afford decent shelter, health care and basic necessities, and that we provide mental health and addiction treatment to those who need it.
March 18th, 2020 at 2:45 pm
There are SO many things to which I hope people’s eyes are opened … including the need to support INDEPENDENT LOCAL businesses (ours included). Too many have sent their money, for so many things, to out-of-town megacompanies that are as a result not just cushioned from this but also profiting big time. But I figure there’s time to do “lessons learned” later! – TR
March 21st, 2020 at 7:38 am
Surprise the guy that left or walked out test results came back negative for the virus.Just in case if anyone hasn’t heard yet.