Page 26 - bon-dia-aruba-20200523

A26 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 23 May 2020
San Francisco sanctions once-shunned homeless encampments

By JANIE HAR and The Centers for Disease
TERENCE CHEA Control and Prevention
Associated Press recommends that officials
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — not disturb tent encamp-
San Francisco is joining ments during the corona-
other U.S. cities in authoriz- virus pandemic unless peo-
ing homeless tent encamp- ple are given individual ho-
ments in response to the tel rooms, as homeless ad-
coronavirus pandemic, a vocates want to see. Those
move officials have long advocates say providing a
resisted but are now reluc- safe space where people
tantly embracing to safe- can get meals, use a toilet
guard homeless people. and avoid harassing pass-
About 80 tents are now ers-by is a reasonable op-
neatly spaced out on a tion given the times.
wide street near San Fran- "The best, best option
cisco City Hall as part of would be housing. The sec-
a "safe sleeping village" ond-best option would be
opened last week. The hotel rooms, but if you can't
area between the city's do that and we're going to
central library and its Asian have so many people out-
Art Museum is fenced off side then I think it makes
to outsiders, monitored sense ... to make those
around the clock and pro- Rectangles designed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus by encouraging social outside as safe as can be,"
distancing line a city-sanctioned homeless encampment at San Francisco's Civic Center on
vides meals, showers, clean Thursday, May 21, 2020. said Dr. Margot Kushel, di-
water and trash pickup. Associated Press rector of the Center for Vul-
In announcing the en- nerable Populations at the
campment, and a second ferred sleeping in his tent been criticized for mov- aged encampment with University of California, San
one to open in the famed before the city stepped in; ing too slowly. She has said roughly 70 blue tents. Port- Francisco.
Haight-Ashbury neigh- he finds the fencing belit- she is not inclined to move land, Oregon, has three But Nan Roman, president
borhood, San Francisco's tling and the rules too con- all the city's estimated homeless camps with city- and CEO of the National
mayor acknowledged that trolling. His friend, Nathan 8,000 homeless into hotels, provided sleeping bags Alliance to End Home-
she didn't want to approve Rice, 32, said he'd much despite complaints from and tents, and Maricopa lessness, said the federal
tents, but having unregu- rather have a hotel room advocates who say over- County opened two park- government is providing
lated tents mushroom on than a tent on a sidewalk, crowded tents are a public ing lots to homeless camp- an astonishing amount of
sidewalks was neither safe even if the city is providing health disaster. ers in Phoenix. money to battle the pan-
nor fair. clean water and food. San Francisco is just the San Francisco officials demic and she hopes cities
"So while in normal times I "I hear it on the news, hear latest city to authorize en- have historically frowned and counties use it to put
would say that we should it from people here that campments as shelters upon mini tent cities and people into empty hotels,
focus on bringing people they're going to be getting across the country move to routinely rounded up tents motels and other unused
inside and not sanction- us hotel rooms," he said. thin bed counts so home- on city streets. But with an places.
ing tent encampments, we "That's what we want, you less people, who are par- estimated 150,000 home- "It's almost like we're giving
frankly do not have many know, to be safe inside." ticularly susceptible to the less people in California, ourselves permission that it's
other options right now," San Francisco has moved virus due to poor health, most of them living out in OK that people will sleep
she said in a tweet last 1,300 homeless people have more room to keep the open, it's impossible to outside, and once we've
week. into hotel rooms and RVs apart. stamp out the highly visible given ourselves that permis-
Nicholas Woodward, 37, is as part of a statewide pro- Santa Rosa in Sonoma tents along highways and sion, it's very difficult to get
camping at the safe sleep- gram to shelter vulnerable County welcomed people on crowded urban side- the initiative together to do
ing site, but he said he pre- people but the mayor has this week to its first man- walks. otherwise," she said. q

Universal Orlando seeks to reopen theme parks in early June

pany joined crosstown ri- Universal, Disney World week, with several restric-
vals Disney World and Sea- and SeaWorld have been tions. All workers and visitors
World in closing their gates closed since mid-March in must wear masks, although
to stop the spread of the an effort to stop the virus's Disney exempts children
new coronavirus. spread. under age 3. Temperatures
Universal Orlando execu- During a tourism forum in are checked at entrances
tive John Sprouls asked Orlando with Vice Presi- to keep out anyone with a
Orange County Mayor dent Mike Pence on fever of 100.4 degrees (38
Jerry Demings for approv- Wednesday, SeaWorld's in- degrees Celsius) or higher
al to open the company's terim CEO, Marc Swanson, and a limited number of
theme parks as early as said he also expected a people are admitted to al-
June 5, the Orlando Senti- reopening in June. Officials low social distancing.
In this Thursday, May 14, 2020, file photo, guests peer through the nel reported. with Disney World haven't Many of those same pro-
closed gate to Universal's Islands of Adventure beside Universal Demings must sign off on said when they plan to re- tocols will be implemented
CityWalk, in Orlando, Fla. Universal's reopening plan open. at the theme parks. Chil-
Associated Press
before it heads to Florida Both Disney and Universal dren's play areas will re-
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Uni- early June, a resort official Gov. Ron DeSantis for his in Orlando have reopened main closed and employ-
versal Orlando is aiming to said Thursday, more than approval, the newspaper shopping complexes and ees won't be sharing ward-
reopen its theme parks in two months after the com- said. restaurants in the past robes, Sprouls said.q