San Francisco will use RVs stationed throughout the city to house members of its homeless population who are infected with the coronavirus for self-quarantine.
According to KTVU, the office of Mayor London Breed announced the plan Tuesday. It will apply to people who've tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, who have been exposed to it but don't need hospitalization and who aren't able to self-isolate in shared spaces like homeless shelters, SROs, or on the street.
The RVs will be staged in the city's Presidio neighborhood and can be placed throughout the city "as needed." The city is also asking hotels if there are any vacant rooms for it to use as part of this plan, according to KTVU.
It's one of the latest measures taken by the city amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected 14 in San Francisco.
On Monday, the mayor announced that the city would spend $5 million to deep-clean homeless shelters and SROs.
A homeless man in San Francisco holds a sign asking for spare change.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The funding will be used to hire dozens of workers to be part of a cleaning crew that will regularly deep-clean the shelters, supportive housing buildings, and the SRO's, which are funded by the city. The money will also be used to keep shelters, including Navigation Centers, open 24/7.
Meal offerings will also be made more available at shelters and SROs to encourage occupants to stay indoors. The funding will allow the city to keep up with the daily cleaning and the around-the-clock shelter hours for a few months, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Those living on the streets are more at risk of contracting infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A 2019 count placed the number of homeless individuals in San Francisco at 8,011. Many don't have the luxury of taking the recommended precautions to avoid contracting COVID-19, like handwashing and keeping a distance from sick people, as Business Insider's Holly Secon reported.
