50 test positive for Covid at single migrant shelter in Long Beach, CA

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After being converted to a shelter for migrant children last month, the Long Beach Convention Center is now holding 710 girls and boys amid an influx of unaccompanied minors at the U.S. southern border, officials said Wednesday.

The temporary shelter can house up to 1,000 children, meaning it’s already at about 70% capacity. And 47 of the children — about 6.6% of those in the facility — have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Zhan Caplan, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Federal officials aim to get every child placed into the care of their family or sponsor within about seven to 10 days, but some cases may take longer, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said when the facility first opened.
The convention center was converted after the Long Beach City Council unanimously approved a plan last month to provide shelter, food and recreational activities to children as other holding centers on the southern border filled up.

Long Beach is more than 100 miles from Mexico, but it’s not the only space in the Los Angeles area being used to house young migrants amid the influx of unaccompanied minors. The Pomona Fairplex also began accepting children Saturday and has enough space to hold up to 2,500.

In Long Beach, the convention center is mostly taking in girls under 18 years old as well as boys under 12 — including siblings.

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