Six weeks after announcing the opening of the Auburn Isolation and Quarantine (I&Q) site, King County stopped serving guests at this facility as of Friday, February 18 due to COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations decreasing. King County will continue to operate an I&Q facility for King County residents that do not have a safe place to isolate or quarantine at home in Kent.
When Omicron cases surged at the beginning of the year, our focus shifted to protecting hospital capacity and assuring community members with the highest risk of hospitalization were served at the site. We can’t thank our community’s collective action, and the dedicated staff at I&Q enough for the efforts to make this location a reality and help protect hospital capacity at a critical moment in the pandemic.
None of this could have happened without the support of the City of Auburn for their swift response to the Omicron surge that enabled the Auburn I&Q site to come online. Together, at the Auburn facility we helped King County meet the isolation and quarantine needs of more than 200 residents throughout our region.
The Auburn facility use as an Isolation and Quarantine facility was always temporary as the hotel is part of the Health Through Housing program, and the building will revert to its original purpose.
Any King County adult who does not have a place to safely isolate and has either tested positive for COVID-19 or has moderate COVID-like symptoms can call the King County COVID-19 Call Center at (206) 477-3977 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. to learn more about I&Q.
