SF: the Real Pain Hasn't Set In

Casa Quezada, where 26 residents tested positive (Chron)

Single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels in San Francisco are old, lacking in amenities, and situated in areas where one would not want to go at night. On the other hand rooms can be booked for $50 per day.

Perhaps not surprisingly, SRO's have become a source of coronavirus outbreaks:

Cases among SRO residents and staff have increased by 1,888% since April 1, when nine residents at eight SROs had tested positive for the coronavirus. As of Monday, there were at least 179 cases among residents and staff at 60 residential hotels, according to an SRO report provided to The Chronicle. The city’s overall case count increased by 306% during that same time period...

More than 19,000 San Franciscans live in 500 SROs across the city, many of them older or with chronic health conditions, putting them at high-risk for severe cases of COVID-19. Communal bathrooms and kitchens, a common feature in the hotels, make it difficult or impossible for residents to social distance or self-isolate.

Like a movie character right after the event, San Francisco doesn't realize that it and the high-density urban model are shot. When hotel taxes, business taxes, and later in the year property taxes on homes and businesses come in, the real pain will be felt.