Manatee County to isolate some coronavirus positive residents at Ellenton motel
Manatee County residents who are positive for the coronavirus but don’t have anywhere they can self-isolate may be eligible for a free hotel room.
The Super 8 motel in Ellenton and Manatee County government have signed a contract to reserve rooms for those in need of a place to isolate.
“It is available to anyone who is unable to isolate due to their home situation or lack thereof,” Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said. “We set them up with a room.”
The Department of Health Manatee County will be in charge of determining if someone is eligible for one of the available rooms. Hospitals will also be able to contact the department to get approval for a patient who is still positive but no longer requires hospital care and has no where to isolate.
The county has agreed to pay $100 per night for the rooms, with funding received under the federal CARES Act.
“Its intended use is for the under-served communities,” Saur said.
That includes the homeless or residents who share homes with other family members or other families.
Hospitals will provide transportation to the motel if needed, and the person will not have to enter the lobby to get their key.
“I am trying to help the community in any way I can,” said Kent Patel, manager of the motel.
The non-congregate shelter coordinator will be in charge of the process Monday through Friday during business hours, and the county will look to hire security once they begin using the rooms, according to Saur.
“We are not there to police them,” he said. “But if the hotel reports that they are not isolating., we would expel them out.”
Visitors will not be permitted in the hotel room and the county will provide food for those who are in need. Otherwise, food delivery will be permitted. Housekeeping will also not enter the rooms during the person’s stay, but fresh linens and hygiene products can be requested as needed.
This Super 8, 5218 17th St. E., Ellenton, is the only hotel or motel with which the county has been able to reach an agreement. The county will look to sign a contract with another hotel or motel should the need arise.
In order to qualify as a non-congregate shelter, a hotel or motel can’t be in an evacuation zone and must have air-conditioning, a telephone, a refrigerator and a microwave in each room.
Patel was very cooperative in helping getting the details worked out, according to Saur.
“Some hotels wanted us to rent out the entire hotel,” he said. “Hillsborough County spent millions of dollars to rent out the entire hotel and I wasn’t going to do that.”
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 11:51 AM.
