The city of Detroitis stepping up its COVID-19 testing of the homeless.
As of Thursday, 13 Detroit homeless men and women have tested positive for the disease, with more than a dozen others awaiting test results.
Arthur Jemison is the group executive for Housing, Planning, and Development for the city of Detroit. He leads the city’s efforts to test Detroit’s homeless.
Jemison says the homeless are often “medically vulnerable.” He also says the homeless people come into contact with up to 100 people a day.
“It’s really important that if we protect them and keep them healthy, we have a chance, as the mayor said, to reduce the spread,” says Jemison.
Mayor Mike Duggan says the city will use half of its supply of 15 minute COVID-19 test kits to test Detroit’s homeless and nursing home residents.
Want to support reporting like this? Consider making a gift to Michigan Radio today.
