CHICAGO \u2014 Dozens of immigrant children in U.S. custody and living in three Chicago-area shelters have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said April 14.<\/p>\n
The Chicago-based Heartland Alliance operates shelters where children in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement’s custody wait to be released to a relative or legal guardian. By April 14, 37 of 69 minors were positive, according to a statement.<\/p>\n
Heartland officials called their prognosis “very good” but declined to offer specifics on their medical treatment.<\/p>\n
Federal officials have suspended placing children in states including New York and Washington over concerns with the outbreak.<\/p>\n
Officials with Heartland, which stopped taking new children last month, tested all children, added nurse practitioners, and staff members are taking precautions such as wearing gloves and masks.<\/p>\n
Heartland’s National Immigrant Justice Center called for expediting family reunification, the subject of a court battle, saying in a statement they were “deeply concerned” about children and staff.<\/p>\n
Federal officials said they were following federal safety guidelines, arguing that the children’s safe release “to suitable sponsors may take longer” given the pandemic.<\/p>\n
There are about 2,500 children in the office’s custody.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHICAGO \u2014 Dozens of immigrant children in U.S. custody and living in three Chicago-area shelters have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said April 14. The Chicago-based Heartland Alliance operates shelters where children in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement’s custody wait to be released to a relative or legal guardian. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[93476],"tags":[110791],"class_list":["post-12825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-briefs-blogs","tag-covid-19","never_free"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n