Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons
Federally owned high-density apartment complexes like the Skyline Tower and Mt. Airy in St. Paul can have as many as 500 units and 2,000 people living inside, which leaves residents at great risk of contracting COVID-19.
The Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said residents in high-rise apartments have no way to protect themselves.
"Narrow hallways, small elevators and shared spaces including mail rooms, laundry facilities, community rooms and worship areas all make social distancing in these confined living spaces very difficult if not impossible," Fletcher told Bring Me The News.
Fletcher wrote a letter to St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter warning of the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak in high-rise apartments.
The mayor responded by asking the sheriff's department's COVID-19 Help Team to do wellness checks and inform residents about the dangers of the virus, according to Bring Me The News.
The Sheriff's office is asking for donations of homemade face masks to protect residents in high-rise apartments.
The COVID-19 Help Team can pick up homemade face mask donations Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and can be reached via email at HelpTeam@co.ramsey.mn.us or via phone at 651-448-3874.
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