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* AP…
Sandoval, an immigrant from Colombia, is among tens of millions of Americans living in multigenerational homes where one of the main strategies for avoiding infection — following social distancing protocols — can be near impossible. […]
In the U.S., roughly 64 million people live in multigenerational family households, or 1 in 5 households, according to Richard Fry, a senior researcher at the Pew Research Center. But it’s far more common among people of color: 29% of those households are Asian, 27% are Hispanic, 26% are African American and 16% are white.
Fry said two major factors accounting for multigenerational living are location, with higher rates in densely populated urban centers where the cost of living is high, and culture, especially for immigrants in the U.S. Living with family into adulthood, common in many parts of the world, was blamed for contributing to the spread of the coronavirus in Spain and Italy.
For families of color in the U.S., there’s also more chance that household members can’t work from home as federal guidelines suggest. Fewer than 20% of black workers can telework, according to a March study by the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute.
Generations living together under one roof doesn’t explain everything, however. According to the US Census, 5.6 percent of Illinoisans lived in a multigenerational household in 2013. Hawaii’s number was 11.1 percent and it has one of the lowest deaths and cases of COVID-19 per million population in the country.
If you combine the lack of teleworking opportunities and the intergenerational living arrangements, you may be on to something. Son contracts the virus at work, passes it along to mom who winds up in the hospital or worse.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 11, 20 @ 12:01 pm
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Previous Post: Nursing home residents and staff are contracting the virus at alarming rates
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I was just reading about Hawaii. They have enforced 14-day quarantine on everyone who comes in, and people who violate are being arrested. So they have massively reduced the number of new cases of people infected by out-of-staters.
Comment by Soccermom Monday, May 11, 20 @ 12:16 pm
I predict multigenerational homes will actually increase in popularity, post-pandemic. Nursing homes seem to be even less safe, and I’d bet a lot of older folks who survive this will fight tooth and nail to stay out of what they perceive to be easy fodder for COVID.
Comment by JB13 Monday, May 11, 20 @ 12:17 pm
Hawaii is also warmer and more humid than most places in the US. I realize that warm, humid conditions haven’t been proven to be detrimental to this virus, but it can’t be totally discounted. Viruses in general don’t spread as well in those conditions.
Comment by Captain Who Monday, May 11, 20 @ 12:21 pm
“everyone who comes in, and people who violate are being arrested”
Hawaii just threw 2 twits from California in jail for violating their quarantine.
To the post, my inlaws are a multigenerational family in SC. Three generations in adjoining homes. Brother-in-law is living in @
an artist’s studio in backyard because he goes out to work every day. Family is deathly afraid of bringing the disease into the households.
Comment by Huh? Monday, May 11, 20 @ 12:25 pm