本港新冠肺炎疫情反覆，政府因應疫情發展而收緊防疫措施，包括規定食肆等只能提供堂食至午夜。食肆禁通宵營業，就令不少無家者每天都要攜所有家當四圍找過夜地點及申領「福飯」，情景令人心酸。
社企「銀杏館」在其社交媒體Facebook專頁指，自疫情爆發後，來申領「福飯」的人數不斷增加，當中包括不少失業者已淪為無家者，他們每天都要孭住大背囊或抽著大袋細袋的細軟前來。「銀杏館」表示，無家者以往或會到24小時營業的快餐店過夜，但最近食肆禁通宵營業，他們只好流落街頭，在公園、行人隧道或者天橋度過黑夜。
「銀杏館」又指，一盒「福飯」已經可以讓無家者取得最基本的溫飽，每天領飯後，都見到有「飯友」就在街角或者附近公園果腹。有無家者更向他們坦言：「有時唔夠飽，會再去其他派飯的地方撲飯，間中一盒飯會分開兩餐食」，令他們不禁慨嘆：「香港繁華都市的背後，實實在在仍有不少人活在赤貧。」
The virus pandemic is threatening another lost decade, similar to the Great Recession of 2007-2009, or even the Great Depression of the 1930s, for America's working poor.
Widespread permanent job loss and the collapse of small and medium-sized enterprises have become a severe risk to the broader recovery - as the economic fallout from the virus-induced downturn could linger for years.
Case in point, the San Francisco Bay Area has lost 350,000 jobs this year - leaving many households with food and housing insecurity problems ahead of the holiday season.
Local news station KQED offers a sobering reminder of the economic devastation left behind from the virus - and one that will likely continue to intensify as virus cases explode to new highs, forcing state officials to reimpose new social distancing restrictions.
KQED said, "food banks are racing to keep up with increased demand for food — and volunteers."
One of the top food banks in the state, called Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, has "literally doubled the amount of food we're distributing," said CEO Leslie Bacho.
Bacho continued: "We already serving a quarter-million people. Now we're serving a half million people."
She said many of the folks picking up care packages at food banks across the Bay Area are coming for the first time. "This is a testament to how the pandemic-induced economic crisis is disproportionately impacting low-wage workers," she added.
"We are seeing so many people who are already just living on the edge, having to then burn through their savings," Bacho said. "More than half the people we're serving now have never sought food assistance before."
Someone named "Gabriel" sent Second Harvest of Silicon Valley a donation of around $1,300 - the letter Gabriel received from the food bank outlines the dire situation playing out in the Bay Area.
With president-elect Joe Biden calling for 4 to 6-week lockdowns as coronavirus winter fast approaches, the jobless rate could soon start rising again as a double-dip recession could be nearing.
Despite trillions of dollars in stimulus, mainly for corporate elites and capital markets - the hundreds of thousands of San Franciscans depended on local area food banks is absolutely disturbing.
Readers may recall - Second Harvest has warned about nationwide food bank "meal shortages" by early Summer 2021.
To sum up, America's socio-economic implosion is far from over as the second wave of the virus could result in a double-dip recession.
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