For those who depend on the intimate, physical contact of sex work to make a living, COVID-19 is taking a wicked toll.
“I have abstained,” local sex worker Jelena Vermilion said Wednesday. “I’m not working right now.”
The epidemic has left many of her colleagues in a cash crunch that threatens homelessness, hunger and serious health risks.
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) offers $2,000 a month for up to four months for loss of income due to COVID-19. But to qualify, a person must show an income of at least $5,000 in 2019 or 12 months before the application date.
That eliminates many in her industry, said Vermilion, who works in her residence. “Many sex workers who are homeless haven’t done their taxes. They can’t do their taxes. Many sex workers are low income to begin with.”