Kelowna homeless shelter COVID-19 outbreak over after 13 cases reported

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A COVID-19 outbreak at Kelowna’s Gospel Mission is now over, three weeks after the first of at least 13 cases was recorded.

Despite several infections, no public notice was issued about the outbreak by the Interior Health authority. Though conditions have improved, we’re now learning more about the situation, which impacted dozens of people visiting and working at the shelters.

“We were put into crisis management mode,” explained Executive Director Carmen Rempel. “We had to figure out how do folks who are living in shelter, in close proximity, in one giant room, how do you isolate people who don’t have homes?”

She says hotel rooms were provided for some people who needed to isolate. However, not everyone was able to take advantage of the same opportunity.

Q are there isolation spaces available for those without homes who have covid?
DBH – have been challenges finding spaces. Some have had to isolate in place. Working on getting more isolation spaces. A lot of work being done on this.#bcpoli @NEWS1130 #covid19

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) September 28, 2021

Rempel admits staff were scrambling to make sure anyone who tested positive was able to isolate.

“We had to divide our shelter into two. We had tape going down the middle of the shelter and we had a hot zone and a cold zone, designating one bathroom to be a COVID-positive bathroom and the other to be the negative. We brought food right to them and encouraged them to stay in their pods, except to go outside for smoke breaks,” she told NEWS 1130.

Rempel adds she’s grateful for the support offered to her team by the Interior Health authority.

When asked on Tuesday about this situation, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said extensive outreach work was being done to contain the spread of any clusters linked to homeless shelters across B.C.

Re: how can homeless self isolate with no shelter?

Henry says work continues to provide shelter for anyone needing to isolate.

Re: vaccine passport access, Henry says not many having problems and if you need help, call the toll-free call centre for support.#bcpoli @NEWS1130

— Marcella Bernardo (@MBernardoNews) September 28, 2021

She said health authorities around the province have been working to ensure people without homes have safe places to shelter if they are battling COVID-19.

“That has been a challenge in a way that has not been in the last year because many of the places where people were being supported to isolate are now back in commercial operations, whether they’re motels or hotels,” she said, adding many of these people are also living with underlying medical conditions. “It has been a difficult time.”

Henry added the province was ramping up its vaccination efforts on the streets, as well as testing.

-With files from Sonia Aslam