Union Rescue Mission in Skid Row reports first confirmed case of coronavirus

The Union Rescue Mission in Skid Row is shown in an undated photo. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Posted: Mar 31, 2020 / 05:57 PM PDT

Updated: Mar 31, 2020 / 11:31 PM PDT

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In the first confirmed case on skid row, an employee of the Union Rescue Mission has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and is being treated at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center.

The Rev. Andy Bales, chief executive of the Union Rescue Mission, said 95 residents and several employees have been quarantined on the mission’s third floor, which houses a live-in recovery program and is where the unnamed employee lives.

“We put the entire third floor in isolation, delivering meals in full protective gear, hoping they don’t come down with symptoms,” Bales said.

Bales said the L.A. County Public Health Department is working in the mission’s courtyard monitoring anyone else who may have been infected. The employee’s recent contacts also are being tracked down.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.