With New York's number of COVID-19 cases continuing to climb, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio confirmed on Saturday that a number of the city's homeless will be moved to hotels for their protection.
New York has reported over 195,000 cases of coronavirus. New York City, in particular, has been the focal point of the state, with the city's large homeless population at a huge risk of contracting and further spreading the virus.
A total of 6,000 single adult individuals will be moved to commercial hotels by April 20, including senior citizens and occupants of overcrowded shelters. Nearly 3,500 homeless individuals have already been moved into hotels.
"Those who will be prioritized across our shelter system for transfer to hotels will include seniors, will include, of course, anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 or who tested positive will be isolated in a hotel setting, and anybody in shelters where it's been difficult to achieve social distancing," de Blasio said during a news conference.
The decision came following weeks of advocates for the homeless urging de Blasio to relocate the homeless population out of shelters. Many shelters in the city have a dorm room setting, which makes it impossible for occupants to practice social distancing.
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