Faizah Gilani
Covid-19 is indiscriminately killing people all over the world. It spread like a wildfire and targeted people regardless of who they are or where they belong to. But recent evidence in the United Kingdom has shown that people belonging to BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) backgrounds have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, making them more at risk of dying compared to the white population.
Underlying health conditions were initially cited as the main factor in explaining the high death rate among non-white people. Illnesses such as heart diseases and diabetes are common within Black and Asian communities, making them vulnerable to the virus. But this view is too simplistic and does not fully explain why black and ethnic minority people are more at risk. There is an issue of racial inequality experienced by BAME community within the UK, and it has been exposed during the pandemic.
According to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Black people are four times more likely to die of the virus than white people. People of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian ethnicity have a higher risk of death compared to the white population. ONS found that men of Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnicity were 3.6 times more likely to die of Covid-19 than white men, with the equivalent figure for Pakistani and Bangladeshi females set at 3.4.
Statistics also show that men of Indian ethnicity were found to be 2.4 times more likely to die from the virus than white men, while the figure for females of Indian ethnicity is slightly higher at 2.7. These statistics are shocking, but when we analyse contributing factors and look at this within the context of social deprivation, it becomes less surprising.
We are talking about people who hold a weak socio-economic position. Those from black and ethnic minority communities work more in low-paid jobs. Many of these people are taking up roles that make them more susceptible to the virus. Around 12.8% of workers of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin people are employed by transport sector driving taxis and buses in comparison to 3.5% of white people.
People belonging to BAME backgrounds are also working at the frontlines in the war against coronavirus as healthcare workers and medical professionals, increasing the chances of them being exposed to the virus. Many of them don’t have adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), thereby putting them in danger and apparently that is the reason that the first ten doctors who died of Covid-19 in the UK were all BAME.
But the story for many low-income families is the struggle to make ends meet. They have no choice but to go to work, despite the dangers. They run risk of being thrown out of their jobs if they won’t work. And for breadwinner of a family there is no choice but to take risk.
Demographics and living arrangements are also big factors to be taken into account. Densely populated areas such as Birmingham and Bradford have been hit hard by Covid-19. These are areas that have a significant number of people from ethnic minority backgrounds, in particular Pakistani and Kashmiri communities.
The situation within homes has been a huge problem during this pandemic. A lot of British South Asian families are living in crowded houses, making it incredibly difficult to self-isolate. Most Asian households are likely to have three generations under one roof. Also, 80% of the South Asian population in the UK live with younger people. This means older family members who are in the high-risk category are unlikely to be shielded from younger family members who are asymptomatic. The government had asked over 70s to self-isolate during the early phase of lockdown, but this posed a serious problem for the elderly belonging to the South Asian community who live with big families. For them, adhering to the guidelines has been difficult.
It is not uncommon for British South Asian households to be large. But during this pandemic, it can have disastrous consequences. But not just families, Immigrant workers may also be living in large groups in one accommodation, also making them vulnerable to contracting the virus.
With anxiety caused by the pandemic, and panic created by the spread of the virus at an alarming rate, there is also a real concern over the mental health of black and ethnic minority groups. Reading statistics and watching the news can lead to a depressed mindset, with people scared for their lives. The thought of being at high risk because of your ethnicity simply adds to the fear.
But if this mental strain causes psychological issues, it is unlikely that people from ethnic minorities will seek professional help or advice. This can be said of South Asian families in particular, that are not known to reach out for professional help when it comes to mental health. It is still somewhat a taboo within the community, and not really spoken of openly. Mental health is very important part of human general wellbeing, but it is not given its due importance within the South Asian community.
This is precisely why the Conservative government needs to act soon, as there is too much at stake. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his team have come under fire for their handling of Covid-19, for a number of reasons ranging from enforcing a late lockdown to sending conflicting messages to people. But they have also faced criticism for their slow response in recognising the virus impact on black and ethnic minority people.
Critics are seeing this as a catastrophic failure on the government’s part, leaving the BAME community without adequate care and support they need. If the government fails to step up and take the right action, there is a real fear of long-term impacts of Covid-19 on people of BAME backgrounds.
Lately pressure has been mounting on the government for an independent public inquiry on this issue. A letter backing an investigation has been sent to Boris Johnson, with hundreds of signatories calling for an inquiry, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The mayor has also written to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
The government has been questioned over the high rate of deaths in BAME groups during the daily press briefings. Though the spokespersons defend the government’s performance by saying:“we are in this together.” But that is not entirely true.
The country’s social structure has led to Black and Ethnic minorities dying disproportionately from the virus. And as Helen Barnard, acting director of the Joseph Rowntree foundation, has very aptly put it: “although we are all weathering the same storm, we are not all in the same boat.”
The writer has studied History and Politics and Queen Mary, University of London. And Near and Middle East Studies at SOAS, University of London.
