Homeless: California struggles to slow outbreak

As California’s death toll from the coronavirus topped the grim 1,000 death milestone, state and local officials have struggled to slow the spread of the virus among vulnerable populations such as the homeless.

The pandemic that has plunged California — the world’s fifth-largest economy — into recession has hit hard. There are concerns the virus could sweep through the state’s 150,000 homeless, many of whom have chronic health conditions and lack safe places to quarantine themselves, health officials say.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has announced efforts to move thousands of those without shelter into governmentfunded hotel rooms, was expected to focus on homelessness during a Saturday news briefing.

On Friday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that next week the city will begin sending medical teams to the streets to screen people for the virus. In the next few weeks, teams will

also begin offering fast-result COVID-19 field tests and those who are infected will be offered transportation to shelters and have hotel rooms set aside for them.

“If we encounter somebody who’s living on the street or in their car, somebody who’s in a shelter who’s sick, they’ll be able to test them right away,” Garcetti said.

More than 30 homeless people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, including six at a skid row shelter, health authorities said.

So far, San Francisco is the only city to report a large-scale outbreak at a homeless shelter, after more than 100 people tested positive, including 10 staff. None of the people was seriously ill when tested but three have since been hospitalized, said public health spokeswoman Rachael Kagan.

Meanwhile, California’s