IF <RED LIGHT> AREAS OPEN,
THEY COULD CAUSE

3 OUT OF 5

COVID-19 Deaths
in India at the Peak

9 OUT OF 10

Deaths in many cities
like Kolkata, Pune, and
Nagpur of COVID-19

HOW <RED LIGHT> AREAS CAN BECOME THE LARGEST

COVID-19 HOTSPOT

Red light areas and brothels are in many countries. This is what could happen in India if red light areas reopened.

This is based on a study by The Yale Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analysis and Harvard Medical School

What does this mean for me?

The study demonstrates that red-light areas when fully operational, are constant super spreading events. Customer traffic is typically so high that it is as if an entire cricket stadium of people was visiting them every day. With these customers going in and out of red light areas, taking the virus with them, your odds of getting sick rise dramatically. For the safety of yourself, your loved ones, and your community, it is essential to take actions that can decrease this risk. Generate awareness about these often overlooked parts of your city or country.

What can I do?

Share this with your family and friends and make sure they avoid these area.

Code <Red> COVID is a global coalition of doctors and researchers

from Harvard Medical School, Yale Medical School, KEM Hospital, and other leading institutions that have come together to share life saving research with governments and citizens to prevent cases and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our members are leading experts in medicine, epidemiology, and disease modeling.

WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD

We have over 50 coalition members from over 15 different countries. We are actively providing findings to the countries with the largest Red Light areas.

Australia

In Australia, brothels and strip clubs are the only businesses listed as indefinitely closed. They are the only businesses listed in the final stage of their reopening plan. Due to concern regarding COVID-19 transmission, sole-operator sex workers have also been banned in Ausralia.

Germany

Prominent politicians in Germany called for brothels to close permanently and wrote letters to the premiers of all German states stating, "It should be obvious that prostitutes could become epidemiological 'super spreaders' — sexual activities are, as a rule, not compatible with social distancing measures”. The German lawmakers stated, “Re-opening the brothels will not help these women...Instead, they need apprenticeships, training or work in a secure job." All brothels in Germany are closed.

Japan

Japan did not close down red light areas in-time and saw an "explosion" in cases because of a red light area that left local hospitals "overwhelmed". Japan has since then provided relief packages to sex workers given the impact of COVID-19 on their business.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh closed down some major brothels due to fear of COVID-19 spread and provided relief for sex workers in those brothels

Netherlands

Sex work is currently shut down in the Netherlands and Amsterdanm’s red light area is being kept closed by the government as the city reopens

Belgium

“To be honest I only really want to get back to work when there is a vaccine. I believe that as long as this virus is going around, a sex worker can trigger an explosion. There are around 28,000 sex workers in Belgium. Say they have a hundred customers a month. Work it out!” Hot Marijke, Belgium Sex Worker

Coalition members come from the leading medical institutions in the world

Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit MORU | Department of Community Medicine, Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences | Dept. of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Pontifical Xavierian University | Dept. of Public Health, UNAM School of Medicine | Dept. of Public Health, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia | Dept. of Public Health, Sao Paulo State University, Faculty of Medicine | Dept. of Physiological Sciences, Pontifical Xavierian University | Dept. of Microbiology, Jahangirnagar University | Dept. of Public Health and Informatics, Jahangirnagar University | Dept. of Social Work, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology | Dept. of Microbiology, Patan academy of health sciences, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation

NEWS UPDATES

WATCH HOW COVID-19 SPREADS

COALITION MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

"There are few interventions in public health that can create over a 60% reduction in cases and deaths when reopening a city or country, and closing red light areas could be one of them. While the Indian government has implemented smart and effective measures to flatten the curve, it is unlikely for the pandemic to be resolved until there is a vaccine for the population. It is therefore important that red light areas remain closed until a vaccine is developed and widely distributed to protect sex workers and the population at large."

Dr. Sudhakar Nuti, Harvard Medical School

"It is impossible to practice social distancing during sex. Residents of red light areas including sex workers, pimps, and brothel managers are at higher risk of infection. By keeping red light areas closed till there is an effective preventive measure, thousands of deaths among residents of red light areas can be averted. Moreover, it will also prevent large number of cases and hospitalizations in residents of red light areas."

Abhishek Pandey, Associate Director, Yale Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analysis