Key takeaways:
- The outbreak impacted some guests and the team at The Gathering Place.
- Paul Davis states the explosion is the ‘first experience with COVID-19’ among guests at The Gathering Place.
Homeless people affected by the Covid-19 outbreak:
According to the executive director of The Gathering Place, an attack of COVID-19 concerns the stray people in St. John’s.
Paul Davis states a “fairly small number” of individuals, including staff, are impacted at The Gathering Place. Source – cbc.ca
Davis stated an individual entered the shelter Thursday with signs and tested positive for the virus. The individual did not last overnight.
The Gathering Place’s 30-bed shelter space stays open, with some team resuming to work despite tight contacts. Davis stated that’s a portion of the center’s protocol, backed by public health.
Read more: COVID-19 hospitalizations rise around to 19 in N.L.
However, The Gathering Place’s 250 frequent volunteers are no longer permitted to enter the building.
“This is our first incident with COVID-19 in our guest population … we’ve been discovering a great deal over the previous 48 to 72 hours,” stated Davis. Source – cbc.ca
Davis stated a protocol to find stray individuals a place to isolate if they test positive for COVID-19.
Since December, the Gathering Place has also been operating on a “less service model,” representing the dining room is sealed. All meals are take-out, and there is a decreased ability for more activities.
