34 SRO tenants received free COVID-19 testing in Chinatown. What’s next?
A much-anticipated COVID-19 testing program for single-room-occupancy(SRO) tenants unveiled on the narrow Waverly Place in San Francisco’s Chinatown. A total of 34 SRO tenants participated in this pilot program, and the results are expected to be released in three days.
The SRO mass testing plan is still filled with uncertainties. The Waverly site testing, which was conducted by the Chinese Hospital and the city’s Department of Public Health(DPH), touched only the tip of an iceberg.
“The testing program won’t stop here”, said Jian Zhang(張建清), the CEO of Chinese Hospital. “We will continue to test the SRO tenants in Chinatown.”
Zhang revealed that other SRO buildings in Chinatown, either owned by family associations or private landlords, or operated by Chinatown Community Development Center, can be the next potential testing target.
Over 10,000 Chinatown residents are living in SRO buildings, which are considered high-risk housing status under the threats of the contagious virus because the tenants share bathrooms and kitchens.
This week, the Board of Supervisors passed unanimously to support Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s law to protect the SRO tenants, forcing the city to re-invest more resources in testing, quarantine, and protection equipment.
Mayor London Breed, for the first time, weighed in expressing her support of the testing.
“We are working to expand testing to communities that have historically been underserved and need more resources”, said Breed, because “our most vulnerable community members have been disproportionately impacted by this virus.”
She also praised the Chinese Hospital for providing “culturally and linguistically competent services for Chinatown residents.”
California Assemblyman David Chiu(邱信福), Supervisor Peskin, DPH Chinatown branch director Dr. Sunny Pak(白幹榮), Six Companies president Ding Lee(李殿邦), and Tzu Chi Foundation representatives attended the pilot program event on May 22.
“And if they’re tested positive afterward, we need to give them all the support they need,” Dr. Pak said during the event, “both from a medical standpoint and the mental health standpoint, which is really important, and all the social services.”
The Tzu Chi Foundation were handing out masks and food on-site and will provide financial assistance to SRO residents who tested positive.
The building chosen in the pilot program is owned by Ning Yung Benevolent Association, located at 41 Waverly Place. Xueyun Zhou(周雪雲), who lived there for nine years, was one of the 34 tenants who received the test. The testing medical staff put the swab into her nose, and Zhou appeared to be uncomfortable. Seconds later the medical staff pulled out the swab and finished the test.
“It was a bit uncomfortable”, said Zhou after the test. “But for my own and my family’s health, I want to get tested.”
On the DataSF map of San Francisco’s COVID-19 infection cases, Chinatown’s zipcode area has the lowest number of confirmed cases.
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The Chinese version of the story appeared on the World Journal on May 23, 2020.
