Dallas Is Getting a Quarantine Hotel

Some hotels are more accessible than others, but our lodging options are usually restricted by our budgets. One hotel in Dallas, however, is soon to become uber-exclusive, and your money won’t be getting you in. The hotel will cater only to the 2 percent: only Dallas County residents who have contracted COVID-19.

The hotel will be a resting place for people infected with coronavirus who need to isolate themselves from family. It's a quarantine destination, set up by Dallas County, with the goal to prevent further spread of the virus.

The concept isn’t new; quarantine hotels are available worldwide. In Texas, a Red Roof Inn in Laredo provides more than 100 rooms for guests with COVID-19, and an Austin hotel has been a quarantine sanctuary since March.

Dallas is now getting its own quarantine hotel, Dallas County Health and Human Services announced Wednesday. Housing will be free, and those who are accepted into the program will be given three meals a day and allowed to stay up to 21 days.

While the hotel’s location hasn’t been announced, the program is only available to Dallas County residents with mild symptoms who live in close proximity with someone who’s immunocompromised or especially vulnerable to the disease and where social distancing isn’t feasible. They also must not be homeless, have behavioral health conditions such as substance abuse or require critical or special medical care.

DCHHS is encouraging medical workers to apply for the program and is now taking applications on its website.