After COVID-19 found at St. John's shelter, advocate says vulnerable population needs protection
CBC
A community advocate says more needs to be done for Newfoundland and Labrador's homeless population, after the Gathering Place announced Sunday that some guests and staff had tested positive for COVID-19.
Robyn LeGrow, told CBC News on Monday homeless individuals have been a concern of hers throughout the pandemic, but Sunday's news was especially worrisome.
"Bringing all those people together and then them going off to the various other programs around town with a disease or illness like coronavirus, it can easily be spread through them," said LeGrow, who has worked in support of food security, community centres and early childhood education.
"When I found out about the positive cases yesterday morning, it was kind of like my worst fear had been realized."
The Gathering Place is a community support organization with a 30-bed shelter in St. John's.
On Sunday, Paul Davis, the organization's executive director, said a person entered the shelter Thursday with symptoms and on Friday tested positive for COVID-19. Davis said the person did not stay overnight, but now roughly 250 regular volunteers are no longer allowed to enter the building.
On Monday, Davis told CBC News 17 guests have tested positive, adding the situation is constantly changing as testing continues.
Davis said some are in isolation at the shelter, while others are at the so-called "COVID Hotel" operated by End Homelessness St. John's.
Davis said they're the first positive cases — including the initial case discovered on Friday night — that the Gathering Place has dealt with in the pandemic.
"With guests, they've got no place else to go and we're not going to put them outside in the winter," Davis said.
"So we've modified now. We've separate spaces set up within our operation itself and it's being staffed by our employees."
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Davis said, guests go through an admission process in which anyone with symptoms or who has had contact with somebody with symptoms is placed in isolation within the building. Nurses then assess whether that person can stay at the shelter, he said, or if they will be moved to the hotel for testing.
"That testing process has been ongoing since COVID began, and we're continuing to follow that," he said.
"Right now we have a number of guests who have tested positive, who are still at the Gathering Place. We have them isolated within the Gathering Place and we're working with End Homelessness St. John's, who operate the COVID hotel, to find a way to make arrangements to have them move to a secure facility."