Coronavirus and the Homeless By Uncle Len Lord of the Zombies

     I was pleased to learn that so many of my homeless brothers and sisters in the US have met with Mistress Corona and survived her so-called savage embrace. In fact, for most of these hard survivalist types, coronavirus is the least of their problems; just surviving the day, and the dark, dangerous nights on the streets, is hard enough:
  https://www.breitbart.com/health/2020/04/23/cdc-report-66-of-homeless-in-san-francisco-shelter-have-coronavirus/

“A report released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that 66% of homeless people in a San Francisco shelter tested positive for coronavirus, renewing concerns about indoor housing during the pandemic. The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) investigated 19 homeless shelters nationwide, including 15 in Seattle, one in Boston, two in Atlanta, and one each in Boston and San Francisco. Overall, the average prevalence of coronavirus among residents was 25%, and the average prevalence among staff was 11% (and 16% in San Francisco). San Francisco’s result was particularly striking — not only because it was so large, but because the overall infection rate in the area was low. The report explained (footnotes omitted): Homelessness poses multiple challenges that can exacerbate and amplify the spread of COVID-19. Homeless shelters are often crowded, making social distancing difficult. Many persons experiencing homelessness are older or have underlying medical conditions, placing them at higher risk for severe COVID-19–associated illness. To protect homeless shelter residents and staff members, CDC recommends that homeless service providers implement recommended infection control practices, apply social distancing measures including ensuring residents’ heads are at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart while sleeping, and promote use of cloth face coverings among all residents. San Francisco is attempting to move homeless people into individual hotel and motel rooms to minimize the spread. It is also allowing homeless people who currently live in tents on the street to remain there, because of the higher risks of spreading the coronavirus indoors in congregate settings. A recent CDC paper suggested outdoors spread was far less likely. Los Angeles has faced criticism for its policy of moving homeless people into temporary shelters set up in recreation centers in residential neighborhoods, contrary to CDC guidelines: “Unless individual housing units are available, do not clear encampments during community spread of COVID-19. Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread.”

     Excuse me, I may be an old fool, uneducated and living in my own filth, but I wonder: if people like this can survive, with poor nutrition, enduring cold and hardship, is this all really the new black death? Whose idea was it to just shut down society anyway? Did they ask me? No, nobody asks me anything. Not even Taylor Swift, who is too concerned about her music rip-offs to care about Uncle Len, once her greatest fan. (See Michael Ferguson article.)