Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
A homeless woman stands barefoot in mud at a Silicon Valley homeless encampment known as The Jungle on December 4, 2014, in San Jose, California.
- A homeless person in Santa Clara County died Monday from COVID-19, the coronavirus disease.
- The death coincided with the announcement of a region-wide "shelter in place" order instructing residents to stay indoors for three weeks to contain the virus.
- The order exempts those who are homeless until officials can find ways to house them.
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A homeless person in Santa Clara County died Monday of the coronavirus disease, which originated in China and has now spread to at least 145 countries and infected 189,000 people, as Vice reports.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the news Monday.
According to Vice, the governor did not give details about the man's age or exactly where he was staying, but said updates would be given on Tuesday. Santa Clara County, where the man died, has reported 138 cases of the virus. There are 297 cases in the Bay Area.
City officials across the Bay Area also announced Monday mid-day that a three-week "shelter in place" order would go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday to help contain the coronavirus. Residents are directed to remain in their homes as much as possible and can only venture outside for essential needs, like going grocery shopping, obtaining medicine, or going for a walk, as long as six feet is kept between themselves and others.
The order, however, exempts the Bay Area's estimated 28,200 homeless people. They are instead encouraged to find shelter until officials can find ways to house them.
The person who died Monday is one of the hundreds of thousands living homeless in the US that are at high risk of contracting infectious diseases such as the coronavirus. Many don't have the luxury of taking the recommended precautions to avoid contracting COVID-19, like handwashing and keeping a distance from sick people, as Business Insider's Holly Secon reported.