Social Distancing from the Problem of Japanese Homelessness Under Covid-19
Volume 18 | Issue 18 | Number 4 | Article ID 5472 | Sep 15, 2020 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus Social Distancing from the Problem of Japanese Homelessness under Covid-19 David H. Slater, Sara Ikebe home?” It’s a good question. When you are homeless, how do you ‘stay home’? Abstract: Of the many populations at risk in these corona times, the homeless are among Even under the best conditions, living homeless the most vulnerable. Without shelter, having to is a precarious proposition. Under Covid-19, it do without personal protective equipment, is a clear risk to one’s life, a “pre-existing often without health insurance and unable to condition” that increases vulnerability as limit contact with strangers, the risk ofseverely as any other factor. With no insurance, infection is very high. The emergency measures a lack of protective equipment, no access to taken by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government reliable information, and no chance of getting included the closure of many public spaces, tested all increase the risk of contracting the indoors and out, depriving them of access to virus; and if one catches it, these the few spaces of survival. This ethnographic circumstances increase the likelihood of article outlines how an older group of homeless serious consequences, including death. Many of men responded to the risk of infection and the men we will discuss here live on the street, inconsistent government efforts to address this others sleep in net cafes or all-night issue. Finally, we examine the response of civil restaurants when they have the chance. They society organizations to compensate forhave no way to create a secure boundary weakness of the government’s response.
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