Whatcom plans coronavirus quarantine at motel. People living there unsure where they’ll go
Motel 6 in Bellingham, where Whatcom County plans to open a COVID-19 quarantine and isolation facility next week, is still home to about 20 residents who don’t know where they will go.
“We have quite a few people here,” Tyler Freeman, who lives at the motel, told The Bellingham Herald on Tuesday, April 7.
The isolation and quarantine site at the vacant and for sale motel, at 3701 Bryon Ave., is expected to be open the week of April 12, according to Whatcom Unified Command, a multi-governmental agency that’s directing the local COVID-19 response.
Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu signed a contract Monday, April 6, with the owners of Motel 6.
The motel, built in 1969 off Samish Way near Interstate 5, has 60 rooms. Whatcom County officials are seeking federal reimbursement for $1.34 million for its use as a quarantine and isolation site, according to a letter from unified command.
Unified command is “aware of several people staying there currently and are working with community partners to assist with arrangements,” according to an email from spokeswoman Claudia Murphy.
Freeman estimated there were about 20 people living in roughly nine rooms at the motel, adding that none of the rooms were close together. He said his mother has lived at the motel for a little more than a year and he’s lived there with her since November, after he injured his neck.
In March, the Motel 6 chain announced it would close locations in Washington state, including in Bellingham, because of COVID-19 “social distancing requirements,” according to a KING 5 story.
On its website, the motel chain said it was “continuing to welcome guests in locations where we can operate safely and have the staff available to do so, and where it is still permissible under the latest state and local mandates.”
Representatives for Motel 6 in Bellingham, which is owned by G6 Hospitality Property out of Texas, didn’t respond to a request from The Herald for comment.
In Bellingham and elsewhere, motels have become homes for people who can’t find affordable housing. Freeman said he can’t pull together the thousands of dollars required to pay for the first, last and security deposit — as well as the $40 to $50 needed for each application — for a two-bedroom apartment.
“I’ve never seen that before. It’s just crazy out here,” said Freeman, 38, adding that he’s from Wisconsin but has lived all over the U.S.
Freeman said he is employed by Buffalo Wild Wings on an as-needed basis but hasn’t worked for six weeks.
He expects to get an unemployment check of less than $400 on Friday or Saturday. He’ll probably share another motel room elsewhere with a friend, but said it will be tough for his mom, whose hip is deteriorating and uses a walker.
He acknowledged that he and his mother haven’t paid rent for two to three weeks, saying the motel stopped accepting payments.
“Everyone’s in a financial crunch because no one is making money anymore,” he said.
Freeman said he contacted the Opportunity Council, a nonprofit that offers a number of programs for those who are low-income including housing and homeless help, and, he said, “They were trying their best to figure out what to do with a lot of us here. “
He said people in two rooms were getting the help that they need.
“Opportunity Council is amazing and doing the best they can with limited resources,” Freeman said.
Mike Parker, housing and health care integration manager for the Opportunity Council, said the organization was at the motel providing information, including about resources, to those who were living there.
“Our heart goes out to anybody that’s displaced for any reason,” Parker said to The Bellingham Herald on Wednesday.
But, he said, Motel 6 isn’t currently one of the places that the Opportunity Council uses to provide temporary housing for homeless families.
For additional details and if you need help: oppco.org and 360-734-5121.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
COVID-19, the new coronavirus, is a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2.
The disease is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
Although most of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
Click the drop-down icon in the upper right of this card for more information on symptoms and how to stop its spread.
What you can do
Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, according to the Whatcom County Health Department.
▪ Keep six feet between yourself and others when in public.
▪ Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
▪ Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with hands that haven’t been washed.
▪ Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw the tissue in the trash and then wash your hands.
▪ Stay home if you feel sick. Avoid others who are sick.
▪ If your symptoms are severe and require medical care, call your doctor first.
This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 11:50 AM.
