New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, a Yale University alumnus, slammed the prestigious Ivy League school on Friday for being unwilling to open its dorms to city workers.

Elicker, speaking during a virtual news conference, said he called the university last week and requested dormitory space for police officers, firefighters and their families should there be any exposure or symptoms of the novel coronavirus. The university told him “no,” he said.

He received a more welcoming response from University of New Haven President Steve Kaplan, who said “yes” in the first five minutes of their conversation, Elicker said.

“Since then, UNH has rolled out the red carpet for us,” he said. “They’ve worked to quickly get students’ belongings out of the dorms. And they’ve worked with us to address other logistical and liability hurdles.”

A final agreement will soon be finalized and city workers are expected to move into the dorms in the coming days, he said.

On Thursday, Yale launched the Yale Community for New Haven fundraising tool, which has a $5 million goal to help health care and local businesses, the Yale Daily News reported. The university has already given $1 million to the fund, which is a partnership with the United Way of Greater New Haven and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

Spokeswoman Karen Peart told the New Haven Register on Friday that the dorms simply aren’t ready.

“We are pursuing schemes that involve professional movers and packers, and using temporary storage. The process will take weeks, as all of the residence hall rooms on campus are filled with student belongings,” she told New Haven Register. “As soon as we have been able to clear any space, we have informed the mayor that we will let him know.”