City: We’ll continue to conduct sweeps amid coronavirus outbreak

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - The city says it will continue to conduct homeless sweeps as it responds to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The concern over COVID-19 vulnerable communities include encampments where people live in clusters without the benefit of accepted hygiene practices to minimize the spread of the virus,” Mayor Kirk Caldwell said, in a news release.

He said without regular sweeps ― during which the city enforces stored property and other ordinances ― “we could see the return of a similar situation we witnessed in Kakaako in 2015, with unsanitary conditions becoming a significant threat to public health and safety.”

The city said it’s also working with the state Health Department to make sure any homeless people who test positive for coronavirus have a place to go and have secured a property for that purpose.

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