SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – Sangamon County hotels could soon be open to COVID-19 patients, as counties across central Illinois are looking at how they will house patients who test positive for the virus and don’t have a place to call home.
"We plan for the worst and we have been planning for the worst whether that happens or not,” County Administrator Brian McFadden said.
The University of Washington predicts Illinois will not hit its peak for outbreaks for two more weeks and Sangamon County is working with local hotel owners to possibly house some patients. Those patients could include the homeless or those who live with other people and don’t have the ability to stay away from others in the house.
McFadden said the county is looking to have 140 rooms ready if they are needed, and an emergency order already in place would allow the county board chairman to sign off on the use of hotels for housing without full board approval.
"We think it is a win-win,” McFadden said. “They help out the county and get some civic pride, but they also get to fill up so rooms and get some revenue doing that
It is unclear how much the county will pay for use of the hotel rooms. The county believes using hotels is a better option than an open arena setting because each room meets the needs of a patient, including private bathrooms, and separate HVAC systems.
“They have to be ordered by the health department to be quarantined,” McFadden said.
People who are ordered to isolate or quarantine, but refuse will be detained by law enforcement and sent to the juvenile assessment center where they will be housed in a wing of the building without any youth.
Other cities like Chicago and Houston have similar plans in place to house COVID-19 patients at hotels.
