RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina has received approval from FEMA to provide housing alternatives, such as hotels, motels and dorms, for North Carolinians with unstable housing who may need to quarantine for COVID-19, or novel coronavirus.
Gov. Roy Cooper made the announcement Wednesday morning.
“North Carolinians without stable housing still need places to go if they are have a mild case of COVID-19 or need to quarantine after being exposed to the virus. These types of alternatives will help people who have no other safe options to self-isolate or social distance while we slow the spread of this virus,” said Governor Cooper.
Cooper's office said the state will work with local organizations to provide more than 16,000 units of housing for the following:
- People who test positive for COVID-19 and need to be isolated but do not require hospitalization.
- People exposed to COVID-19 and identified by a doctor as needing to be quarantined but not hospitalization
- People needing social distancing as a precautionary measure, particularly high-risk groups such as people over 65 or with certain underlying health conditions.
The federal government with pay 75% of the operating costs for the sheltering program through FEMA. North Carolina will cover the remaining 25%.