Plans to temporarily use a hotel to house homeless people who may have contracted the coronavirus are meant to protect the community and easy the burden on local hospitals, officials said, but surrounding senior residents of Laguna Woods are protesting in fear they are being put at risk.

“A lot of these folks, they are seniors and scared they are going to get sick and die from it,” said Tara Rystad, whose mom, aunt and uncle live in the community of about 18,000. “To me and others, it seems odd you’re going to put at-risk people literally across the street from an at-risk community.”