Miami-Dade County sets up ‘help line’ for residents
who need temporary hotel rooms to isolate.
Program open to those who test positive — or risk getting exposed in their household — to COVID-19
MIAMI ( July 18, 2020 ) — Miami-Dade County residents who need temporary hotel rooms to isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic can call a new “help line” for assistance.
On Friday, July 17, 2020, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez announced the County, in partnership with the state of Florida, is adding 400 rooms to its hotel isolation program in an effort to protect multigenerational families from the spread of COVID-19.
Throughout the pandemic, the County has been providing hotel rooms to healthcare workers, first responders and homeless individuals, among others, who need to isolate for short periods. The County also is providing isolation rooms at hotels for patients recommended by the Florida Department of Health and area hospitals.
The new “help line” expands the program to residents — with or without symptoms— needing to isolate from family members while they wait for test results, as well as those who have been exposed to someone who has tested positive.
The recent spike in COVID-19 infections among 18- to 34-year-olds has put multigenerational households, common in Miami-Dade County, at particular risk of having an older member end up in the hospital.
“As we continue to take tough measures to tamp down the spread of the virus, we must do all we can to protect our seniors and at-risk families, as well as our hospital personnel, who have been working nonstop throughout this pandemic,” Mayor Gimenez said.
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