In Las Vegas, the Catholic Charities’ homeless shelter has long served as a facility for people in need of accommodations.
But after one homeless man who used the facility tested positive for corona virus last week, the shelter was forced to close, leaving 500 homeless people scrambling for a new place to stay.
Even Courtyard Homeless Resource Center, a nearby open-air facility, was unable to take in more people as it was almost at capacity.
So City of Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada officials decided to create a makeshift homeless shelter — in the parking lot of Cashman Center.
Over the weekend, the parking lot of the center, which is normally a convention and baseball stadium complex, transformed into a sleeping space with help from volunteers.
But the sleeping arrangements ignited some backlash on Monday, after an image of homeless people circulated across social media.
In the photo, a handful of people are seen lying in white boxes painted on the concrete floor — six feet apart to enforce social distancing.
The efforts of the health workers prompted the Italian minister of foreign affairs to say: “It should make us understand that this is not a game and that there are people who are dying, and women and men who are risking their lives to save others.”
The latest data released by Italy’s Higher Institute of Health (ISS) states at least 6,414 health workers have been infected, with an average age of 49.
There have been concerns raised about staff not having access to enough protective clothing.
