MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Metro Transit officials are trying to contain a homeless encampment in Minneapolis that has grown to more than 100 people in the last month, as many men and women moved to “Camp Quarantine” amid fears they would catch the coronavirus in crowded shelters.
Metro Transit officials said the camp’s tightly packed tents and lack of hygiene facilities create a scenario that could contribute to the virus’s spread. The Star Tribune reported that Metro Transit ordered the construction of a fence around the site near the light-rail line in south Minneapolis to keep it from growing. Officials also might clear out the camp if it becomes too much of a health and safety risk.
“Larger encampments can be problematic because they can foster dangerous activity and, in this time of disease, can be even more dangerous,” said Charlie Zelle, chairman of the Metropolitan Council, which oversees the transit agency.
Those who first moved to Camp Quarantine said they set up tents there largely to isolate themselves and have stability, as libraries and other public buildings shut their doors in the early days of the pandemic. The camp allowed them to stay in one spot without going to crowded shelters. Statewide, about 40 shelter residents have tested positive for the virus in the past month, state health officials said.
An executive order by Gov. Tim Walz barred local agencies from sweeping homeless encampments, due to concerns that dispersing homeless people could increase the spread of COVID-19. But last week, Walz said camps could be cleared if they “reached a size or status” that pose a threat to health and safety.
The crowded camp has become a concern, even among its inhabitants. Many tents are just a few feet apart, and the site lacks hand sanitizer and a clean water source. Some inhabitants wash up near their tents, with water poured from plastic jugs.
Officials hope the fence will keep more people from moving to the site, but some outreach workers said the money would be better spent on sanitation supplies and moving people into stable housing.
There are also 88 known encampments in St. Paul, according to Ramsey County Commissioner Trista MatasCastillo.
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