AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Salvation Army’s Downtown Shelter opened back up Monday.
The shelter closed April 13 so staff could deep clean and reconfigure the shelter to better adhere to social distancing guidelines. A resident of the shelter tested positive for COVID-19 in late March.
The temporary closure displaced 187 residents, but with help from the city of Austin, all residents were given places to stay in the meantime.
Communications Director Corey Leith said the organization will release updated policies and procedures relating to the emergency shelters sometime Tuesday, but the current policy regarding COVID-19 says it will take temperatures of all staff and residents on a daily basis before entering a shelter.
The Salvation Army will also screen them using these questions:
- Do you feel like you’ve been having fever or chills?
- Do you have a cough that is more than your normal cough?
- Do you have any shortness of breath or breathing difficulties beyond your normal state?
- In the last two weeks, have you been in close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19?
Any resident who answers yes to any of the questions, or has a temperature of 100.4⁰F or greater, must be assessed for possible placement in an isolation facility.
