Campaigners have demanded an independent public inquiry into the United Kingdom’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with racial discrimination as a central focus. In a letter to the inquiry’s chairwoman, Baroness Hallett, activists from Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice and the Runnymede think tank demanded that ethnic minority communities be “firmly placed at the centre” of the investigation and that racism be investigated as a central issue. A spokesperson for the inquiry stated that unequal pandemic impacts would be a priority, but bereaved families feel marginalised by the process thus far.
Femi Akinnola, the father of Lobby Akinnola, died with Covid in April 2020 at the age of sixty. Lobby believes that racism contributed to his father’s death, despite the fact that he had no underlying health conditions and was a key employee. Lobby stated, “He was a black man in England.” “Racism permeates every aspect of society. My father emphasises why it is crucial to view this as a systemic and structural issue.”
At a hearing on 14 February, the inquiry’s attorney stated that examining racism would be “impossible.” Since then, the Covid inquiry has asked two experts on inequalities to contribute to the first module, but Lobby believes that stories similar to his father’s should be included in the inquiry.
Others have expressed discontent with the inquiry’s listening exercise, which requires respondents to answer “brutal” questions such as “When did your experience begin?” and “When did your experience end?” via an online survey. The Covid-19 Inquiry told BBC News that it had appointed specialists in research and communications to allow people to share their experiences; however, Jean Adamson, who lost her father in a care home during the first wave of the pandemic, felt that her voice had not been heard.
Campaigners are urging the independent public inquiry into the United Kingdom’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic to prioritise race. People from ethnic minority backgrounds who lost family members during the pandemic believe that racism has been marginalised by the process thus far, and they want their stories to be heard in the investigation. The Covid-19 Inquiry has committed to examining inequalities and has asked two inequalities specialists to contribute to the first module. However, those affected by the pandemic believe that this is insufficient and hope that their opinions will be considered in the future.
