San Diego Officials Crack Down On Homeless As Hep A Outbreak Worsens
San Diego County is battling an epidemic of hepatitis A, a contagious liver disease that has killed 17 people and infected 461 people, including more than 300 who had to be hospitalized.
The Associated Press:
San Diego Increases Homeless Citations In Hepatitis Outbreak
The city of San Diego issued citations and cleared a downtown street where hundreds of homeless people regularly camp during ongoing efforts to sanitize neighborhoods to control the spread of hepatitis A. Officers are asking homeless people to leave the street and nearby blocks where tarps and tents have regularly lined sidewalks and an area near a freeway onramp, police Lt. Scott Wahl said Wednesday. Those who refuse are given citations and those who resist further are arrested. Police over the past two weeks have been issuing about 50 citations a week — up from 30 a week before the crackdown, Wahl said. (Watson, 9/28)