Miami-Dade homeless shelter reports first confirmed coronavirus infection

Someone living at a Miami-Dade homeless shelter has tested positive for the illness caused by the coronavirus.

The Miami-Dade Homeless Trust said Wednesday that it was the first such case at a county shelter as the virus continues to spread across Florida.

The person has been placed in isolation and is receiving medical care as officials work to also separate people who came into contact with him or her. Two other homeless people, who are staying in separate housing provided by the trust, have also tested positive for COVID-19 and remain at their homes recovering.

“We won’t rest through this crisis,” said Ronald Book, the trust’s chair, in a statement. “The people we work with are the most vulnerable in our county, state, and nation, many of whom are over the age of 65.”

The trust did not identify which shelter was affected, or the age and gender of the person.

The Homeless Trust has been grappling with how to contain the spread of the virus among the county’s large and transient homeless population. More than 1,000 homeless persons remain without shelter on the streets, where practicing proper hygiene is incredibly difficult.

According to the trust, more than 2,500 homeless persons are in area shelters — where the viruses can spread quickly in the close quarters.

Government agencies who work with the homeless are exploring whether to convert a former Costco in North Miami into a 135,000-square-foot temporary shelter that would allow more space for people to maintain distance.

For now, trust workers have been screening shelter residents potentially stricken with the illness. Extra cleaning is being done regularly on common areas and in the intake areas.

On the streets, they have been delivering hygiene, safety and food kits, and informational materials, while also doing temperature checks. Public hand-washing stations installed in downtown by the city of Miami have seen so much use that the city is struggling to keep soap dispensers filled.

A University of Miami doctor has also partnered with several groups to test homeless men in Overtown.

This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 4:09 PM.