Mayor Lightfoot: Nursing Home Employees Can Isolate At Chicago Hotels

CHICAGO (CBS) -- As nursing homes become hotspots for COVID-19 cases, two Chicago hotels will now provide shelter for those workers as they need to isolate during the coronavirus pandemic.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said along with the Hotel Julian, the Godfrey Hotel and London House will have rooms available for nursing home workers.

Nursing home workers who've tested positive for COVID-19 can stay at the hotels instead of returning home, where they may expose others in the household.

"Chicago's nursing home workers have been at the forefront of this unprecedented public health crisis as they continue to serve our most vulnerable residents and individuals suffering from COVID-19," Lightfoot said. "As we continue to combat this crisis, we will always fulfill our obligation to ensure those on the frontline, especially our nursing home workers, are supported during this hour of need."

Starting this week, hotel rooms will be available to nursing home workers on a first-come, first-serve basis. Nursing home workers need to show proof of employment. The hotels will provide them with free meals and free parking as part of the respite.

"This unprecedented public health crisis has put a spotlight on the courage and commitment of Chicago's nursing home workers and the work they are doing every day to care for this city's most vulnerable residents," said Greg Kelley, President of SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana Missouri and Kansas (HCIIMK). "We applaud Mayor Lightfoot's efforts to provide much-needed relief to our workers who are on the frontline fighting the spread of COVID-19."