Washington Officials Buying Motel for Coronavirus Patients

Officials in King County, Washington, plan to buy a motel to house people diagnosed with coronavirus, so they can be quarantined in living conditions as close to normal as possible.

During a news conference in Seattle on Monday, County Executive Dow Constantine announced he had signed an emergency declaration and is in the process of buying a motel to allow patients to recover in isolation, The Seattle Times reported.

The motel should be ready for use this week, he said. Additionally, the county is installing modular units for people who do not have a home where they can go to recover.

So far, six people have died of coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, in the United States, all in Washington state's EvergreenHealth Health Medical Center in Kirkland. Five of the deaths were residents of King County, one was a resident of Snohomish County.

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