We welcome the Prime Minister’s response on being committed to learning the lessons from the COVID-19 Inquiry. The Inquiry highlights what we already knew at the Foundation. The lack of preparedness and that minority groups were at greater risk of death. However, the recommendations within the report don’t provide solutions to how we avoid the same reality in the future.
Covid-19 exposed the inequalities among Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic communities. Asking people to stay at home, when home for some meant overcrowded conditions, limited green space, poor repair, and high-rise blocks, suggests that decision-makers either were content with exposing these communities to greater risk or were ignorant of the consequences.
In the Covid-19 Inquiry, we welcome recommendations focused on vulnerable groups. However, the failures are likely to reoccur if vulnerable groups only refer to the over-80s and the clinically vulnerable. This misses minority communities, who have fewer over-80s and does not account for those working in health, care, transport, and factories. Given the extensive evidence of racial inequality, the Government’s response should have been more inclusive. The new Government now faces the challenge of addressing racial inequality to prevent recurring poor outcomes and tackling broader societal inequalities and deprivation.
