New York City has agreed a $250 million contract to house non-critical covid-19 patients in hotels.
The NYC emergency management department inked the deal with CrewFacilities.com, a Texas firm specializing in emergency lodgings for large groups.
The rooms will be reserved for healthcare workers, Covid-19 patients who do not need round-the-clock medical attention, and others unable to self-isolate effectively at home.
"New Yorkers who can safely isolate in their homes are asked to continue to do so," said emergency management spokesman Omar Bourne.
"The city remains committed to providing resources to protect vulnerable New Yorkers against the spread of Covid-19, while balancing all available resources."
The use of hotels will help ease pressure on hospitals and for households with a family member who has tested positive.
"We’re taking that hotel space and using it more and more to support families who need to have a loved one out of the home for a period of time to create more protection for everyone else," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
"The focus again has been preserving and protecting the hospital system and being ready to address the huge percentage of people who are in life and death situations."
NYC is also shifting 2,500 vulnerable people out of homeless shelters and into hotel rooms.
The city’s hotels have been hit terribly hard by the outbreak, with occupancy rates at just 18% based on last week’s data from hotel industry analysts STR.
