A list of resources for domestic violence victims follows this article.
(CNN)Home is the safest place to be while a pandemic rages outside. Health officials have said as much for weeks now.
But for some, home is not a haven from violence and abuse.
Self-isolation forces victims of domestic violence and their children into uncomfortable and dangerous circumstances: Riding out the Covid-19 crisis, shut in with their abusers.
Life during the coronavirus outbreak has sapped victims' outlets for relief: Running errands, speaking with counselors, visiting friends.
The pandemic has shattered exit plans that some victims have spent months developing.
And the deluge of stress and fear -- of unemployment, of sickness, of death -- is only intensifying the abuse they face.
The services designed to support even the most isolated of these victims are struggling to help from a distance.
"It is the perfect storm for someone who wants to isolate or hurt their partners," said Val Kalei Kanuha, assistant dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Washington's School of Social Work.
"It is the perfect storm for someone who wants to isolate or hurt their partners," said Val Kalei Kanuha, assistant dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Washington's School of Social Work.
Abuse survivors are familiar with the rules of social isolation already. Now, the pandemic is doing the work for abusers.
Domestic violence will likely increase in social isolation
The frequency and severity of domestic abuse will likely increase while Americans stay home for weeks or months during the pandemic, said Katie Ray-Jones, president and CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a service that connects victims of domestic violence with local resources.
Ray-Jones said the hotline saw an uptick in reports of partner abuse during the 2008 recession as unemployment surged. But then, victims weren't told to shut themselves in with their abusers.
The calls National Hotline staff have received since the start of state shutdowns are startling, Ray-Jones said: One woman said when she tried to go to work at an essential business, her abusive partner began to load his firearm to scare her into staying. Another said that her partner threatened to expose her to the virus on purpose and swore he wouldn't pay for treatment if she fell ill.
Communities under stay-at-home orders are already reporting higher call volumes to local domestic violence resources.
In New York's Nassau County, east of New York City, domestic violence incidents are already up 10% compared to this time last year, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told CNN affiliate WLNY. And Cincinnati-based organization Women Helping Women is receiving 30% more calls now since self-isolation started, CNN affiliate WCPO reported.
Stress heightens the likelihood for violence
Domestic violence cases spike in times of prolonged stress and disruption, like financial crises and natural disasters.
But most Americans have never lived through anything quite like the Covid-19 pandemic, said Margaret Bassett, director of the Expert Witness Program at the University of Texas at Austin's Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault.
"This is a really stressful time," Bassett said. "And the more stress that a family experiences, there's a greater risk for escalation on the part of a person who's abusive."
Some of that stress has driven people to firearms dealers and liquor stores.