(Dan Tri) – With a bustling and vibrant city like Hong Kong, the fact that many people have to stay still day after day in tiny houses that are compared to `coffins` can have a strong impact physically.
A room as small as a `matchbox` for low-income people in Hong Kong (Photo: SCMP)
Before Covid-19, Lum Chai often went to the park and drank beer with friends to free himself from the tiny apartment he lived in.
Lum has no other choice because social distancing in the `tiny house` he lives in is impossible.
According to CNN, `coffin` houses usually have an average size of about 9 square meters, 2.3 square meters larger than most cells in Hong Kong’s prisons.
Lum, who is unemployed, said he pays $232 per month in an apartment divided among 10 people.
Lum’s situation is harsh, but not uncommon in Hong Kong.
Inside a room of Hong Kong’s poor (Photo: Soco)
First appearing in Hong Kong in January, the Covid-19 epidemic has so far infected 1,050 people and killed 4 people.
However, in a society with such a large gap between rich and poor like Hong Kong, the epidemic has pushed the poor into an even more difficult life.
The problem of employment during the pandemic is making many Hong Kong people miserable.
“I don’t think people understand that Hong Kong is on the brink of a full-blown crisis involving a group of people living in rooms less than 10 square meters.
Hong Kong’s poor people are miserable in `matchbox` houses amid the Covid-19 epidemic
On an unusually cold Tuesday evening in April, Lum and more than 100 people stood in line to receive free meals at Tak Kok Tsui.
The line was much longer than usual, with middle-aged people like Mr. Lum, elderly retirees and people who had just lost their jobs.
Chu Kin Lik, a volunteer from Impact HK, stood at the top and tried to get people to stand apart.
Many people who spoke with CNN said they clearly understand that social distancing is a must.
But living in tiny houses with dozens of other people makes it impossible for them to practice social distancing as advised by authorities.
In an effort to do their best, these people can only close the doors of their `matchbox` rooms and pray that the epidemic will soon pass.
A resident in the `matchbox` room (Photo: Soco)
Hong Kong officials have announced a $37 billion relief package to prevent the impact of Covid-19 on the economy with a series of measures such as tax reductions and housing subsidies for low-income people living in public housing.
In addition, Hong Kong has also decided to spend money on psychological support programs for people who have to socially isolate in cramped houses.
With a bustling and vibrant city like Hong Kong, the fact that many people have to stay in tiny houses day after day can have a strong psychological impact.
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