DeKALB — The university will open the Holmes Student Center hotel to be used as alternative housing for those unable to self-quarantine, according to an email sent Friday by NIU President Lisa Freeman.

Freeman said in the email that the DeKalb County Health Department asked the university to serve an alternative self-quarantine site.

The hotel, which has been closed since March 20, will be used to house those who are unable to self-quarantine in their homes after they’ve been tested for or diagnosed with COVID-19, according to the email.

The health department will cover all costs associated with meeting the needs of those who will be staying in the hotel, including registration, health care, nutrition, transportation and more. The health department will also oversee the cleaning of the space.

Freeman expressed gratitude to the staff and leaders of the health department.

“Their expertise has been invaluable, and their commitment to all of us is reassuring in this period of uncertainty,” she wrote.