Worried about bringing COVID home? How to get a free isolation room at a Miami hotel
People in Miami-Dade County exposed to COVID-19 can now call a “help line” to isolate inside a free hotel room instead of at home to help protect their more at-risk family members from falling ill.
The new phone line is part of the county’s hotel isolation program, in partnership with the state of Florida, to limit the spread of the disease among multi-generational families living under one roof.
The county has 500 isolation hotel rooms available in the program. Of those rooms, 100 will be paid for by the county. The other 400 will be paid for by the state.
Rooms are at the Doral Inn and Suites, 1212 NW 82nd Ave. in Doral and at the Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel & Executive Meeting Center, 3900 NW 21st St. in Miami.
“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,” Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in a statement.
Who is eligible to stay at a hotel isolation room in Miami-Dade County?
People in Miami-Dade County, with or without symptoms, who need to isolate from their family can call 305-614-1716, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily, to request the free accommodation and get a room if available.
Those who qualify for an isolation room include anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19, anyone who is awaiting for their COVID-19 test results and anyone who was exposed to someone who tested positive for the disease, according to the county.
Callers will need to provide the address of where they live so the employee can verify that they live in Miami-Dade County. People who are staying at their summer home in Miami-Dade County and snowbirds visiting a Miami-Dade County resident are also eligible if they meet the criteria above and do not feel safe traveling back to their primary residence, said Miami-Dade County spokeswoman Patricia Abril said.
Abril said the county will also not inquire or vet the person’s immigration status.
“Our objective is to separate people who are COVID positive or have been exposed or have been tested and awaiting results from other family members who are not. The objective is not to exclude people who may very well spread the virus,” Abril said.
Previously, the county was only providing the service to healthcare workers, first responders, the homeless and patients recommended by the Florida Department of Health and area hospitals.
How long can you stay isolated in the hotel room? What about food?
The length of stay in one of the hotel isolation rooms will vary by the person’s situation, but in general, the person can stay until they test negative for the novel coronavirus, or if their illness worsens and they have to be taken to the hospital.
Anyone who does not have symptoms but is isolating because they were in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and has not taken the test could stay up to 14 days in one of the isolation rooms, according to the county.
Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency Management will arrange for lunch and dinner to be brought to the isolated person each day at the hotel in Doral and the hotel will also provide a light breakfast. All of the rooms in the Doral hotel also have a full kitchen (full oven, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave). Those who stay in an isolation room can also order delivery from outside restaurants.
For those who stay at the Sheraton hotel, breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided daily by the hotel. Abril says Miami-Dade County’s Office of Emergency Management will also accommodate special diets, including kosher and vegan meals.
TO CALL
Miami-Dade County Isolation Hotel Room “Help Line”
Call 305-614-1716 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily to request the free isolation hotel room, subject to availability.
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 6:42 AM.
