Los Angeles votes to let homeless keep tents up during day amid coronavirus outbreak

The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday voted to allow the homeless to keep their tents to stay up during the day in an effort to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

“The only thing that is worse than having lots of people living in encampments is throwing them out of encampments and making them more vulnerable,” Councilman Mike Bonin said, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Under current law, homeless tents in the city must come down between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. but it’s not rigidly enforced.

The city will still be able to move tents to clean the street and remove hazards.

Council members also voted to add hand washing stations, portable toilets and weekly showers services to major homeless encampments.