With the COVID-19 outbreak heating up all over Taiwan, to prevent gatherings of homeless people from becoming a breach in the wall of disease prevention, social workers from Kaohsiung’s Social Affairs Bureau have been hastily going out every day to places where homeless people often sleep outdoors to hand out masks and remind people to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
The bureau said on Monday last week that social workers over the preceding few days had been making on-site visits to places where homeless people often sleep outside. They found that, with many public spaces having been closed off, there were only a few homeless people left in the hotspots where they often hang out, while others had gone off to rest in nearby nooks and corners.
A homeless man named “A-chen” said that he spends his time in a shady, cool corner of a park where not many people go. He said that he did not approach other people or go shopping, and that most people do not approach him either. He said that people steer clear of him, and although he only looks a little bit dirty, many people who catch sight of him act as if they had seen a virus.
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung City Government’s Social Affairs Bureau 照片：高雄市政府社會局提供
For the duration of the outbreak, the Social Affairs Bureau, in addition to short-term placements at homeless people’s service centers, has also launched a system of short-term placements in contract hotels, and as of Monday last week, 42 of them have moved in. The Social Affairs Bureau will go on stepping up its efforts to urging homeless people to find a place to stay and visit them to make sure they are wearing masks and joining in the effort to fight the outbreak.
As soon as this news got out on Monday last week, many Internet users reposted it. Some people commented that Kaohsiung has taken preemptive measures by arranging places for homeless people to stay, and although they have been doing it quietly, everyone can see the efforts they have been making. Meanwhile, a civic group said that these measures are spot on, because if you let homeless people live somewhere comfortable, then they will not wander all over the place.
(Translated by Julian Clegg, Taipei Times)
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung City Government’s Social Affairs Bureau 照片：高雄市政府社會局提供
全台武漢肺炎（新型冠狀病毒病，COVID-19）疫情升溫，為避免街友群聚成為防疫破口，高雄市社會局社工繃緊神經，每天到街友常露宿地點發放口罩，提醒配戴口罩、保持社交距離。
社會局上週一表示，近幾日社工實地查訪街友常露宿地點，發現隨著許多公共場域關閉，而這些街友經常出入的熱點也只剩零星幾位，其他則改到附近的角落休息。
一名街友阿真表示，自己都待在公園較少人會經過的陰涼角落，不會靠近別人，也不會去買東西，一般民眾也不會靠近他，大家都離得遠遠的，他只是看起來比較髒一點點，但很多人看到他像看到病毒一樣！
社會局在防疫期間，除了街友服務中心的短期收容安置，也啟動「合約旅館短期安置」機制，統計至上週一，已累計有四十二人入住，社會局會持續加強勸導街友安置及查訪配戴口罩，為抗疫一起努力。
上週一訊息一出，許多網友轉貼，指高雄市已超前部署安置遊民，默默地做，人民都看得到的！也有社福團體表示，這麼做真的很到位，讓街友住得舒適，就不會亂跑！
(自由時報記者方志賢)
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