LABOUR called for swift action from the government today to protect black, Asian and minority-ethnic (BAME) workers from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Growing evidence suggests that people from BAME communities are disproportionately affected by Covid-19. 

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and anti-racism campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence called for the government to adopt NHS England’s advice to risk-assess staff from BAME backgrounds, along with others who may be at higher risk, for all employers before loosening restrictions further.

PM Boris Johnson recently eased some of the lockdown restrictions imposed in March and has recommended that those who cannot carry out their jobs from home now return to work if it is safe to do so.

Sir Keir and Lady Lawrence welcome the Public Health England (PHE) inquiry into the impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities. But they warned against repeating the mistake that ministers made in being too slow in the early stages of the pandemic. 

“It is important that the lessons are learnt from this and swift action is now taken to help mitigate the impact of this virus,” they said.

Their letter follows the launch of Labour’s review into the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities, led by Lady Lawrence and Labour’s shadow women and equalities secretary, Marsha De Cordova. 

In an online meeting on Tuesday, Stand Up To Racism urged BAME parents not to send their children to school until they know it is safe. 

Co-convener Weyman Bennett called on people to “take a leaf out of Rosa Parks’” book and boycott sending their children to school.