Crime surge during pandemic leaves U.S. unhoused more vulnerable: The Guardian

LONDON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A series of killings in recent weeks has underscored the dangers faced by those who live on the U.S. streets during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Guardian has reported.

At least five people sleeping on the streets of Washington D.C. and New York were shot by a gunman over the last two weeks, with one killed in each city, said the report on Saturday.

"While life has already been hard for the homeless people as New York City emptied and shut down during coronavirus spikes, matters became bleaker" due to the killings, it said.

The homelessness in New York City has reached the highest level of 48,413, including 15,057 homeless children in January, showed figures by the municipal shelter system.

However, the situation may even worse than the official figure, the report added.