| America's unique homeless crisis is colliding with the coronavirus outbreak, and the forecast is dire. For Americans with a place to live, the recommendation to start practicing aggressive social distancing to contain the spread of the coronavirus is difficult enough. But for Americans experiencing homelessness, it’s impossible. Experts are warning about the risk of contracting this virus in high-density environments. One has to look no further for a place where people are forced into close quarters than a homeless shelter — where residents live in crowded conditions and sleep in immediate proximity to one another. People living in shelters have the lowest degree of social distancing, says Dr. Nima Afshar, an emergency physician at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and associate professor at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). They could also face prolonged exposure and are less likely to get care for early symptoms. In terms of acquiring the virus, “it’s safer to be living outside, from a public health standpoint,” if people can tolerate it, Afshar says. | 
