We now know Covid-19 is not a great leveller and it’s not just the lowest-paid frontline workers most at risk.
Black and Asian people are being hit harder – and it is down to the shocking ignorance of our government.
Black, Asian and minority ethnic patients account for a third of those who are critically ill and fighting for their lives.
They are over-represented among the NHS staff who have die too.
The Government this week has agreed to an inquiry into this situation but it’s pretty clear to me what’s happening. Clear to me, but I’m a first-generation Asian girl, not a Bullingdon Boy.
Rushanara Ali, Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, sees the problems too and we spoke this week. A third of the residents in her area are from BAME backgrounds.
She said they were more at risk due to three key areas – housing, health and employment.
In the Bangladeshi community, which is the largest ethnic group there, it’s even worse because of cultural habits, where extended families live together.
So if you have a vulnerable parent or someone with an underlying medical issue in a tiny two-bed flat, it is very difficult to self-isolate away from family.
The Tories probably have roomier duck houses than these places.
It’s a pretty simple reason why self-isolation is not going to work across the board in Britain.
In 70 per cent of older generations do not live with younger family members.
Compare that with just 20 per cent of South Asian and 50 per cent of black African or Caribbean households.
But these people and their way of life are completely alien to the Government. Or is Michael Gove going to quote some more Stormzy to tell me I’m wrong?
It has all led to a slow response, one that takes no account of the way non-white families live.
People in these communities are more likely to have diabetes and heart disease too, putting them at greater risk.
To add to that, in Rushanara’s borough a lot of her constituents are self-employed taxi drivers, shopkeepers, market traders and warehouse workers.
Many are on zero-hour contracts or can’t be furloughed so are risking their lives to earn money.
This virus does not see race, sex, class or religion – but overlooking groups when you make policies does put targets on their heads.
When I was at uni, I researched whether our planning system recognised the needs of our multicultural communities.
You can imagine what my conclusion was.
As Mayor of London, Boris raved about what a fantastic multicultural city it was. It’s a shame his government has neglected so many of the people who make it so amazing.
