The Government must extend the eviction ban if England is to avoid a potential surge in Covid-19 cases, the British Medical Association has warned.
The Association says that people who are homeless are three times more likely to be chronically ill with lung and breathing problems - a serious risk factor in the development of the virus. Rates of homelessness are expected to increase as the temporary halt on being able to evict those in rent arrears has ended on 23rd August. The homeless charity Shelter is estimating 227,000 private renters have fallen into arrears since the pandemic and could lose their homes when the ban is lifted.
In a paper published today, the BMA is calling for legislation to place a 12-month duty on local authorities to enable everyone who sleeping rough, who is homeless and cannot self-isolate, or at risk of these eventualities, to have access to safe accommodation. The BMA also believes it is vital that the Government pays more attention to the ‘hidden homeless’ – those who ‘sofa surf’ in shared accommodation and urgently need more support.
Professor Dame Parveen Kumar, BMA board of science chair, said, “The Government could be putting thousands of people’s lives at risk by not extending the eviction ban and having future provisions in place. Considering that we are still far from out of the woods with this virus, this is both incredibly short-sighted and potentially dangerous.
“We recognise that the Government has already taken decisive action to keep homeless people safe during this time. However, we desperately need this support to continue. We also need preventative measures to be put in place to help reduce the number of people at risk of losing their homes. This is particularly important as we head deeper into a recession and near the end of the eviction ban.
“Without this, we could see large outbreaks of Covid-19 among the homeless population, not only putting this community at risk, but also the wider population – potentially undoing months of national effort to get a grip of this horrific virus.”
