(CN) – Several hours after Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the closure of movie theaters, fitness centers, gyms, bars and nightclubs to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus homeless people woke up wondering where they could go to shower and charge their phones.
Garcetti’s announcement on Sunday night that the closures would not impact pharmacies, grocery stores and food banks went into effect at midnight and on Monday morning budding filmmaker Angelo Mike, who lives in his car, showered in a Target parking lot with a water bottle.
Mike, 34, regularly showers at Planet Fitness and edits videos at his local library.
“I have friends who live in downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood who offer to let me shower at their place, but it would be about $6 in gas to drive there,” Mike told Courthouse News. “Someone messaged me about portable showers in Echo Park and since it’s going to be 44 degrees in the morning, I don’t want to try and birdbath in that.”
Closures of gyms, bars and movie theaters will be in place until March 31, Garcetti said.
“We are all first-responders in this crisis,” Garcetti said in a statement. “I don’t take these steps lightly, but they are absolutely necessary – because our decisions today have the power to slow the spread of the virus and save lives.”
L.A. County followed the city’s shutdown policy within all unincorporated areas, impacting about 10 million people. Approximately 59,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County – with 16,000 living in their cars like Mike, according to the last official count conducted by county officials. And now that population will not have access to libraries and gyms, which have become the de facto service providers for internet access, showers and bathrooms.
County public health officials announced Monday afternoon 25 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus over the weekend, bringing the total to 95 in LA County and over 430 across the state. On Monday night, California Governor Gavin Newsom reported that one of the two deaths reported Monday in Santa Clara County – in Northern California – was a homeless person.
When reached by phone Monday afternoon Reverend Andy Bales, CEO of Union Rescue Mission, said the homeless shelter had quarantine sites for single adults and a separate space set up for families at its downtown LA location.
“We don’t want anyone to suffer alone out on the streets. We’ve invited anyone with a fever or cough to come in, but even we have our limit,” said Bales.
The faith-based organization has space for approximately 175 single adults to self-isolate, Bales said, and county officials have announced plans to use RVs for the same purpose at Dockweiler Beach.
But Union Rescue Mission does not receive county assistance for its operation, according to Bales, which has left the organization scrambling to purchase personal protective gear, biohazard bags and other items from Amazon just as news began to break about the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. The gear is meant for staff and those who may be infected with the novel coronavirus who cannot safely self-isolate.
Bales says more people are coming to the shelter for food now and he estimates the situation will only get worse.