Mayor of London Sadiq Khan,(Photo Credit: Shayan Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn/Wiki Commons)
Hamed Chapman
London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has called for urgent Government action to tackle the stark inequalities that have led to a disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on the lives of people living in the British capital.
His call comes as yet another report has highlighted the grossly disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) members, finding that Black people are almost twice as likely to die of Covid-19.
“It is simply not right for ministers to say they will do ‘whatever it takes’ to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus crisis but then stand by as whole sectors of our society find their lives and their livelihoods at risk,” Khan said.
“I urge ministers to invest in our communities and the organisations supporting those most at risk, to ensure that accessible health guidance is available to all and, as case numbers are rising again, that there is adequate support in place for those who’ve lost their jobs, had their hours cut or been forced to self-isolate.”
The latest independent study entitled ‘Rapid evidence review: Inequalities in relation to Covid-19 and their effects on London’, was commissioned by the Mayor and carried out by researchers from the University of Manchester to assess the impact of the pandemic on people with characteristics protected by law.
It highlighted the uneven effect concerning factors such as ethnicity and gender and warned Black people faced almost twice the risk of dying of Covid-19. It found people from BAME backgrounds tended to be in professions more susceptible to exposure to the virus.
The warning coincides with cases continuing to resurge in the capital and after a spokesman for Khan said earlier that London was at a “very worrying tipping point” and “immediate action” was needed to regain control of the spread of the deadly disease.