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Homeless need ‘safe spaces’ to self-isolate
The government is being urged to provide safe spaces for the homeless and other vulnerable people to self-isolate, amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
Proposed new laws, which reports claim will give the police the power to arrest anyone with the virus not self-isolating indoors, will be published this week. Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran is calling for empty offices to be requisitioned to ensure the homeless are treated with dignity as the coronavirus spreads and ensure that rough sleepers are not ‘disproportionately affected’ by the legislation.
This could be in the form of ‘compassionate’ accommodation which encourages homeless people who might be showing symptoms associated with the virus to come forward.
The government's current advice is that anyone with a fever or a new continuous cough must remain at home for at least a week. Extra measures, including requiring every Briton over the age of 70 to stay at home for an extended period to ‘shield’ them from the virus, are also expected in the coming weeks.
Campaign groups have suggested the government to block book empty hotel rooms to allow the homeless to self-isolate, with the costs covered by the £500 million hardship fund announced in Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Budget.
Moran said: "I support all evidence-led action to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Yet I worry that these new detention powers will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in our society, including the homeless. The idea of police arresting homeless people, many with complex health and addiction issues, without proper testing, and placing them in detention centres just doesn't sit right.
"The government should seek to care for homeless people and set up special services for them in disused buildings or vacated offices in cities. These facilities should provide a sanitised place to eat, drink water and use the toilet. And, they should provide safe spaces for vulnerable people to self-isolate with dignity, as opposed to within a detention facility following arrest."
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