The City of San Francisco is set to open a new shelter at the Moscone Center next week to help "create more space in [SF's] existing shelters and Navigation Centers," which will allow for proper social distancing in the midst of the ballooning coronavirus pandemic.
The pathogenic landscape we're all now moving through requires us to practice self-isolating methods… in order to not make things worse than they already are. But for unsheltered San Franciscans, it can be nearly impossible to abide by fit social distancing etiquette. The City of San Francisco is aware of this, which is why they'll soon open a new shelter in the Moscone Center, "Moscone West," to help ensure the safety of SF's vulnerable populations during the coronavirus outbreak, all while safeguarding people from blips in proper social distancing.
We're opening up a new shelter at Moscone West to increase social distancing in our shelters.
— London Breed (@LondonBreed) March 27, 2020
We've secured 300 hotel rooms, with 3,000 more coming next week to reduce pressure on our hospitals & create spaces for vulnerable populations & frontline workers who need to isolate. https://t.co/Xep75UYs3T
In a press release published by the Office of the Mayor Friday, the City will soon relocate some people who are currently in "shelters and other navigation centers" to the new refuge at the Moscone Center. Once there, those same individuals can count on a continuation of expected necessities: access to meals, showers, rest, and various hygiene products. Moscone West will also offer case management, per the City and partnered non-profit providers.
The creation of the Moscone West shelter exists as part of a larger effort taken by the City — which includes the recent leasing of 300 hotel rooms — to offer temporary housing and shelter for "health care workers, first responders, and vulnerable populations and residents" that need to self-quarantine after a positive test result for COVID-19 or who were exposed to the virus.
Not much else is known about the new housing facility, aside from the fact that treatment and shelter inside Moscone West will allow for social distancing; Moscone West will open next week and remain active during the current public health crisis.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health notes they currently have a sufficient number of hospital beds to treat SF COVID-19 patients. However, projections produced by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation put "peak case count" in California around late-April, at which time there's estimated to be a shortage of nearly 300 ICU beds in the state.
Related: Supervisor Preston Secures Private Funds for Hotel to House Homeless
SF Leases 300 Hotel Rooms to House COVID-19 Patients and 'Vulnerable Populations'
Image: Wikimedia Commons
