Whatcom asks FEMA for $1.34 million for Motel 6 coronavirus quarantine site
Whatcom County officials are seeking federal reimbursement for $1.34 million for an isolation/quarantine site at the Bellingham Motel 6 for people infected with the new coronavirus, according to a county document obtained by The Bellingham Herald.
“There are key populations requiring non-congregate sheltering during this immediate response to protect public health; these include but are not limited to: first responders, the general public, travelers and those who are currently unhoused,” according to a letter from John Gargett, deputy director of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, to Washington state’s representative to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Gargett is also an incident commander at Whatcom Unified Command, the multi-governmental agency directing local efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
His letter was based on an order from Dr. Greg Stern, the Whatcom County health officer, to create the isolation/quarantine shelter.
No Whatcom County law enforcement officers, firefighters or paramedics are known to have tested positive for COVID-19, unified command spokesperson Claudia Murphy told The Herald in an email Saturday, April 4.
Hans Erchinger-Davis, executive director of Lighthouse Mission Ministries, told The Herald that several of its shelter clients have been sent for testing but all showed negative for COVID-19.
“We have zero confirmed cases,” Erchinger-Davis said Tuesday, April 7. “We know of one person who was showing symptoms who went to the hospital, and we didn’t grant them entry (to return). It’s not known if they were positive or not, because they left against medical advice. We want to keep our people safe.”
Nineteen Whatcom County residents died of COVID-19 through Tuesday and 238 people had tested positive for the disease.
As many as 4,200 people could die locally from COVID-19 by July 1, according to several computer models that a Western Washington University Professor provided to unified command.
Motel 6, located off Samish Way near Interstate 5, is vacant and for sale, according to a statement issued Monday evening by Whatcom Unified Command.
Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu signed a lease for the Motel 6 on Monday, unified command officials said in a statement. The shelter is expected to be open the week of April 12, the statement said.
“The county request is part of a comprehensive strategy to provide hospital bed space capacity while allowing patients to be discharged from the hospital and still recover and address the critical need to provide individuals with quarantine or isolation solutions to limit the COVID-19 spread,” Gargett’s letter said.
Motel 6 can house 58 in rooms that have their own bathrooms and entry, Gargett’s letter said.
Two of the motel’s 60 rooms will be used for office, supplies and support services.
Whatcom County is paying $15 per room per night, plus utilities and damage, Gargett wrote.
“While we understand FEMA ‘generally’ approves facilities for 30 days pursuant to the guidance, we are seeking approval for 90 days of expenses, as we know that the need will extend beyond 30 days (surge expected at the end of August). Depending on circumstances, we may seek additional funding if the need extends beyond that. And we did include FEMA-required termination language in the lease,” he wrote.
Gargett’s letter details the costs, which include:
▪ $114,000 for the lease and utilities.
▪ $150,000 for mobilization and set-up costs.
▪ $350,000 a month for operations, which includes staffing, security, laundry and janitorial service and food.
▪ $50,000 for demobilization.
The facility will be operated by partner agencies that will provide meals, laundry and janitorial services. It will be staffed by case managers from Sea Mar Community Health Center and Lighthouse Mission Ministries, according to the unified command news release Monday night.
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.
