Coronavirus in France: the impossible situation of the homeless

Text by: RFI Follow

Protecting oneself and respecting confinement is often impossible for the homeless in France, in particular thousands of migrants, whose daily lives depend on associations, whether for their accommodation, hygiene or food. This Thursday, March 19, the government announced requisitions for hotel rooms and the opening of nearly 300 centers by the end of the week with single rooms.

Publicity

Since Monday March 16, all associations which come to the aid of exiles, except those mandated by the State, had to cease all activity or almost. Their volunteers are confined or have no exemption to travel. Many have also suspended aid to prevent the spread of the virus.

For Priscilla, an Angolan who landed three months ago in Paris, everything changed at the start of the week. Instead of being lodged with private individuals, she had to spend several nights in a hospital on a chair and find herself left to herself as early as 6 am.

" I looked for day care centers, but unfortunately, they were all closed, " she explains. In the evening, I was arrested by police because I did not have the certificate to be outside. I told them that I am homeless and that is why I am here. Afterwards, they left. "

The limits of requisitioned accommodation

For several days, the associations have been demanding measures from the government to take over, in particular for the accommodation of exiles. Request heard, for Julie Lavayssière of the NGO Utopia 56 in Paris, but with a downside.

🧐 Confined yes, but where? 24 associations, including @LDH_Fr, @ Utopia_56, @lacimade are alerting to a health emergency: 3,500 people are on the street in Île-de-France. "Wandering, they participate in the spread of the virus". https://t.co/ml4J9PIhmx

" It is unlikely that in this kind of hotel there will be food distributions, warns Julie Lavayssière. So in fact, they will be completely isolated in places they do not know, and with no one to inform them and ensure that everything is going well and that they can access food. "

Priscilla also got a hotel room last night. But given the scale of the needs, she is still not sure how to avoid the streets in the coming days.

► Read also: Coronavirus: housing, a decisive factor in the coronavirus crisis

Our selection on SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

• Listen to Infos coronavirus , our daily column on the Covid-19

• An infographic: The coronavirus in 7 points

• Practical questions:
→ Who are the vulnerable people ?
→ What should you do when you think you are contaminated ?
→ Quarantine, what are we talking about ?
→ What treatments ? The effectiveness of an antimalarial drug in question

Find all our articles, reports, chronicles and programs on the coronavirus by clicking here .

Newsletter With the Daily Newsletter, find the headlines directly in your mailbox

Download the app

• Coronavirus
• France

On the same subject

Coronavirus: Édouard Philippe announces state of health emergency

Coronavirus info

Coronavirus info: masks, their stocks, their usefulness and how to use them

Morning guest

Coronavirus: "Failure to respect containment will lead to additional deaths"