Ex-GUNS N' ROSES Drummer MATT SORUM: 'This Is The Most Important Time For Us To All Come Together'

Former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Matt Sorum and his wife, Adriane "Ace" Harper, were interviewed earlier today (Saturday, April 11) on the Facebook page of Global Hack, a technology marathon which aims to create solutions that help people stop the spread of coronavirus and stimulate the economy. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about the fact that unhoused people are among the most vulnerable of contracting the deadly novel coronavirus, Sorum said: "The people I worry about right now are a lot of the homeless out in the streets in L.A. We've been having a major homeless epidemic anyway. And in America, I feel like that's something that just has not really been looked at in a serious way that needs to be addressed, especially with pandemics. The governor of California, [Gavin] Newsom, has done a pretty good job of being able to house a lot of homeless people, but, obviously, a lot of homeless people don't wanna be housed.

"This is gonna create a whole new language and make people really understand how we need to address this," he continued. "Because, not to scare people, but more pandemics will come. And because of global warming, we have to get prepared and be ready for the next phase of what's gonna happen next. And, obviously, this is the most important time for us to all come together."

The homeless, along with the elderly, are considered high risk during the coronavirus crisis.

As of this past Thursday (April 9),there were 20 confirmed cases among the Los Angeles county's homeless population, up from 12 on Wednesday. Of those 20, all but four were not in shelters.

"People experiencing homelessness not only have a set of challenges that make it really hard to do what we ask — stay home when you are sick, wash your hands frequently, talk to your medical provider if you are feeling ill — but they are in worse health than many other people," Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County's director of public health, told reporters in March.

More than 1.7 million coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide and more than 108,000 deaths so far, putting public health systems and emergency services under immense pressure.