Man who stayed at Hamilton's Salvation Army shelter tests positive for COVID-19

A man who stayed at the Salvation Army's men's shelter in Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19. 

Hamilton Public Health notified the Salvation Army Monday that the man, who recently stayed at the Booth Centre on York Boulevard, has been transferred to Bennetto Community Centre — the city's isolation space for those who are homeless and have come into contact with the virus. 

According to the Salvation Army's public relations area director Dan Millar, the man only stayed at the York Boulevard location for one night and was not experiencing symptoms at the time of his stay. 

During the city's virtual press conference Monday, medical officer of health Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said the man's case is still under investigation and many details are not known. She added staff are working with the individual to conduct accurate contact tracing. 

Richardson said people in shelters are one of the vulnerable populations in regards to COVID-19. 

"These are individuals whose health is compromised for a number of reasons on a regular basis, they may have chronic underlying conditions," Richardson said, adding that these illnesses typically stem from poor housing conditions and lack of access to basic needs.

For these reasons, the city set up an isolation centre to support all community members. 

The Bennetto isolation centre is a "bare-bones shelter" according to Paul Johnson, the city's director of emergency operations, adding that they worked with the Red Cross to receive cots and linens. 

 He said since it is a recreation facility there are washrooms, showers and food made available, along with the proper treatment to support the individual's recovery. 

A press release from the agency says that the location is "taking a variety of measures at the Booth Centre to limit exposure to COVID-19" and that they are following advice from Hamilton Public health. 

The agency continued to say it is practice physical distancing, use personal protective equipment when in close contact with people, wash and sanitize hands, and screen clients upon accessing their services.

On Monday, Johnson said in terms of feasibility it would be "massive and monumental" if the city were to close the shelter system and move residents into hotel rooms.

At this time, some people have been moved from shelters into hotels to ensure there is no overcrowding, but the city is leaving hotel space available in case it has to shut an entire shelter or take on others in the shelter system.  

In shelters, where overcrowding and struggles with addiction and acute chronic health conditions are common, an outbreak poses an "extremely high-risk," Toronto-based street nurse Cathy Crowe told CBC news earlier this month. 

In a recent blog post, Crowe wrote that "shelters are like a petri dish waiting for COVID-19 to arrive," with poor ventilation, staffing levels and cleaning standards likely to make the situation even worse. 

Hamilton's Booth Centre has 82 dorm beds and a 21-room emergency shelter for homeless or transient men. Short and long- term accommodations are available, along with a hostel program and case management, financial help and counselling.