Coronavirus is changing our society. Imagine you are a mayor. You are responsible for the protection and well-being of everyone in your city. Suddenly a virus seeps through the toll gates and over the bridges. While scientists are trying to figure out even how it is caught, hundreds of people are becoming infected. In an attempt to prevent the disease from spreading, you close the schools and cancel large public events.
Many citizens stay locked up in their homes. Not everyone though. Life must go on. The streets are still busy with traffic and pedestrians. So what about those homeless people? They must be a big concern. Living outside, with limited access to healthcare they are more than likely at risk of catching the disease than someone else. However, homeless people have no homes to border themselves in. If you do nothing with the homeless people, then everyone else is at a greater risk. But what could you do?
RVs quarantine corona virus infected homeless
San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced on Tuesday, March 10, that the city will use RVs across the city to house homeless who are infected with the corona virus, according to KTVU, a FOX affiliate local channel. The infected homeless who will be quarantined in RVs, are not in bad enough condition that they require hospitalization. However, since they have the virus, the isolation will prevent them from spreading it.
RVs provide other benefits as well. Utilities, such as electricity and water can be connected from the outside. Some residence can even work from their RV home.
Parents use RV to quarantine their child
The case of Jake Eastman is relevant to this article. This 20 year old was studying in Italy, when the corona virus erupted. The virus is hitting Italy so badly, that the president recently put the entire country on lock-down. As of March 11, there were more than 10,000 cases of corona virus in Italy and 631 deaths. Jake woke up and didn’t feel so well. He called his parents and they got him a ticket to return back home to California immediately. Luckily, this was a few days before President Trump declared a lock-down, preventing travel between Europe and US.
Eastman was able to return home, through two airports, without a single screening. Just to play it safe, when he got home, Jake found an RV in the driveway. Ever since Jake got back home, he has been quarantined. But no one ever said Jake Eastman had to be quarantined. Maybe his parents just don’t want to hear his music.
Same cities that benefit from RVs are trying to ban them
RVs also provide assistance in other catastrophic situations. When a hurricane destroys a family home, and they are forced to sleep on the grass outside, an RV can provide shelter. Gigi Stetler, CEO and founder of the RV adviser, often helps disaster areas by providing RVs as shelter.
Washington State also is discovering the benefits of quarantining infected people in RVs. This article shows how Governor Jay Inslee set up a quarantine site in Centralia, Washington.
Ironically, while San Francisco and Washington are discovering how essential RVs can be, neighboring cities have been trying to ban them. Yup. Council boards have been trying to ban the very same RVs that are now saving themselves and their families from the corona virus.
Why would anyone want to ban RVs? The answer appears in the shape of a dollar sign. California and Washington state are very lucrative real estate markets. People who can’t afford the exorbitant rent, can live in RVs for a fraction of the price. If the same people on the city council own some of these non rented apartments, one strategy is to ban the RVs.
There are other reasons why cities may want to ban RVs. A group of RVs parked along the road, may worry nearby residents that their property values are going down as a result. A dismal reflection of our society, but some people would prefer to yank a family from their homes than to suffer a financial loss.
