'ALARMING'
In Hong Kong, where thousands of people who have recently visited China or may have had contact with patients, are confined to their homes under quarantine orders, it is particularly risky for those who live in partitioned flats.
These units generally have poor ventilation and drainage, and residents are more vulnerable because of the shared kitchen and toilets, said Choyu Cheung, a community organiser at the Society for Community Organization, a non-profit.
"This epidemic highlights how alarming the housing situation is in Hong Kong," Cheung said.
While the Hong Kong government has announced handouts to tackle the outbreak, some public housing has been converted into quarantine centres, thereby reducing an already constrained supply of public housing.
In South Asia, authorities have reported rising numbers of coronavirus cases.
In India, at least 4 million people are homeless in urban areas, and more than 70 million live in informal settlements, said Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN), a non-profit.
In addition to providing emergency accommodation and healthcare services, authorities must enforce a moratorium on evictions, said Shivani Chaudhry, executive director at HLRN.
"Under the current circumstances, demolishing homes and rendering people homeless would result in increasing their vulnerability to contracting and spreading the virus," she said.
In Delhi, city officials are sanitising homeless shelters, and providing tent shelters until the end of the month, said Bipin Rai, a member of the Delhi Urban Slum Improvement Board.
"The government is closely monitoring the needs of homeless citizens. There will be no evictions for now," he said.
($1 = 7.76593 HKD)
