Miami-Dade 'Help Line' Open For Residents Who Need COVID-19 'Hotel Isolation' Room To Protect Family
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Miami-Dade County residents who need temporary hotel rooms to isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic can call a new "help line" for assistance.
The number to call is 305-614-1716 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.
On Friday, July 17, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced the expansion of the County's 'hotel isolation' program to help separate people who test positive for the virus and need to self-isolate from at-risk family members.
The program started with 100 rooms and is adding 400 rooms, due to a partnership with the state of Florida.
Throughout the pandemic, the County has been providing hotel rooms to healthcare workers, first responders and homeless individuals, among others, who need to isolate for short periods. The County also is providing isolation rooms at hotels for patients recommended by the Florida Department of Health and area hospitals.
The new "help line" expands the program to residents — with or without symptoms— needing to isolate from family members while they wait for test results, as well as those who have been exposed to someone who has tested positive.
The recent spike in COVID-19 infections among 18- to 34-year-olds has put multigenerational households, common in Miami-Dade County, at particular risk of having an older member end up in the hospital.
"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," Mayor Gimenez said.
