Carlos Gimenez

Miami-Dade Funds 400 More Hotel Rooms for Coronavirus Patients Who Need to Isolate

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Miami-Dade County is partnering with the state of Florida to set aside 400 hotel rooms for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and must isolate themselves to protect at-risk family members.

Residents who need to isolate from family members while they wait for test results, as well as those who have come in contact with someone who tested positive, are encouraged to call the county's helpline at (305) 614-1716. The line is operational daily between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The move is an expansion on a program that is already in place. When a patient is released from a hospital and allowed to go home, Florida's Department of Health can recommend that they isolate for a number of days, and their hotel stay will be paid for.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said the move was made out of concern over "the recent spike in COVID-19 infections among 18-to-34-year-olds (that) has put multigenerational households, common in Miami-Dade County, at particular risk of having an older member end up in the hospital," according to a press release.

Gimenez also thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis and Jared Moskowitz, Florida Emergency Management director, for their collaboration.

Those needing assistance can call (305) 614-1716.

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