SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah (ABC4 News) – Officials have confirmed 94 positive cases of coronavirus at the Men’s Resource Center in South Salt Lake.
The county stated in a press release that after the first case was identified, the men who shared that dorm were moved to a quarantine facility and tested and new clients were no longer accepted.
After a second positive case was found in a different dorm in the resource center, the whole center became a quarantine facility and they continued to follow an action plan to limit and identify other cases.
Related: Men’s resource center stops intakes after 2 confirmed cases of COVID-19
Weeks of added procedures to prevent the spread of the virus held positive cases back as long as possible. Those include extra cleaning, further separation inside the resource centers, and daily screenings for temperature and symptoms, followed by testing, as needed.
Test results for the Men’s Resource Center now show a high percentage of positives, with 94 men
testing positive out of 205 tested. Those who have tested positive have been moved to a
county isolation facility where they can monitor their symptoms, rest, and recover while receiving meals.
Those who have tested negative are staying at the Men’s Resource Center and are receiving health screenings two times a day. The center is still not accepting new guests and visitors are not allowed in the facility.
The nature of a living facility like a Homeless Resource Center creates unique challenges in the effort to slow the spread of the virus, stated the press release. Social distancing is one of the most effective methods for slowing the spread of COVID-19, but that is especially challenging in a building that houses 300 people.
“Despite the significant efforts made by service providers and health officials, we have reached an
unfortunate situation like that seen in other similar facilities across the country.“
The county said precautions are being taken at other Homeless Resource Centers as well. Service providers and health care providers continue to monitor, screen, and test as appropriate.
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