Railway ticket office worker, 47, dies of coronavirus after man who said had the disease SPAT at her in Victoria Station – as police launch hunt for Covid thug
A railway ticket officer has died from Covid-19 after a man who said he was infected spat at her and a colleague at London Victoria Station.
Belly Mujinga, 47, was on the concourse of the station in March when a member of the public who said he had Covid-19 spat and coughed at her and a colleague. Within days of the assault, both women fell ill with the virus.
Ms Mujinga, who was mother to an 11-year-old daughter, was admitted to Barnet Hospital, north London, on April 2 and put on a ventilator but died three days later.
Her colleague, who remains unnamed, has made a full recovery from her home.
British Transport Police began enquiries on Monday and have ruled out a murder investigation, but say the severity of the charge they bring is still up in the air.
The Transport Salaried Staffs Association said Ms Mujinga’s ‘wasn’t inevitable’
A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: ‘It is despicable for a key worker to be attacked in this way while serving the travelling public.
‘Our thoughts are with Mrs Mujinga family’s at this terrible time.’
Ten people were able to attend the mother’s funeral, but friends and family have paid tribute to her online, with one person writing: ‘Rest in peace aunty Belly Mujinga that we used to call “Mama I Baby”‘
Colleague Akin Macaulay wrote: ‘Belly, my colleague and my birthday mate, may your soul rest in peace and may the Lord comfort your Husband and daughter and the extended family at this time and uphold them all.’
Mr Macaulay shared a fundraising page which had raised £1,500 to support the GTR worker’s family.
Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to the wife and mother who died in April after she was spat at on the concourse of London Victoria Station
The Transport Salaried Staffs Association union has reported the incident to the Railways Inspectorate, the safety arm of the Office for Road and Rail (ORR), for investigation and is taking legal advice on the situation.
TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: ‘We are shocked and devastated at Belly’s death. She is one of far too many frontline workers who have lost their lives to coronavirus.
‘The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, recently announced that £60,000 would be paid to the survivors of health and care workers who die as a result of the pandemic.
‘Our view is that this compensation should be extended to the families of all frontline workers who perish trying to keep our country and vital services going.
‘Sadly, Belly’s is just one of many family tragedies where children have had their parents taken away from them.
Belly Mujinga worked at the ticket office at London Victoria Station, she was rushed to Barnet Hospital in March after contracting Covid-19
‘However, there are serious questions about her death; it wasn’t inevitable.
‘As a vulnerable person in the ‘at risk’ category, and her condition known to her employer, there are questions about why she wasn’t stood down from frontline duties early on in this pandemic.
‘Rather than talking about the easing the lockdown, the government must first ensure that the right precautions and protections have been taken so that more lives are not lost.
‘Anyone who is vulnerable should remain at home and home working should be the default wherever possible.
‘Our rail industry needs to have a very serious look at what tasks are deemed ‘essential’ and must put protections in place for all our members and our passengers.’
Govia Thameslink Railway said it was taking allegations from the union ‘seriously’.
Managing Director Angie Doll, said: ‘We are devastated that our dedicated colleague Belly has passed away and our deepest sympathies are with her family, with whom we have been in touch through this very difficult time.
‘Tragically, many people across the country have now been directly affected by Covid-19, including those in the rail industry who are doing the vital job of ensuring train services can continue.
‘We urge people only to travel if it is absolutely essential.’
TSSA General Secretary Manuel Cortes said the union was ‘shocked and devastated,’ by the death of Belly Mujinga
A spokesman for British Transport Police said: ‘We have now launched an investigation into a report of two members of rail staff being spat at while working at London Victoria station on 22 March. One of the victims, a 47-year-old woman, very sadly died in hospital on April 5.’
Anyone who saw Ms Mujinga, or her colleague, being spat at can contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 359 of 11/05/20.
News of Ms Mujinga’s death comes as passengers return to London’s train and Tube stations.
Yesterday the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) advised its members not to work if they felt unsafe, amid fears over a surge in passengers on the railways and Tubes.
Bus and coach drivers, particularly men, were found to have a high er likelihood of death from Covid-19 compared to people with ‘professional’ jobs.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) advised its members not to work if they felt unsafe.
Far higher numbers of people from black and Asian backgrounds have died from COVID-19 per 100,000 people than white Britons, despite making up much less of the overall population. ‘Other whites’ include Gypsy and Irish Travellers, and ‘other ethnic group’ includes Arabs
It said the Government was shifting away from the stay at home message, which would unleash a surge in passengers breaching social- distancing measures with ‘potentially lethal consequences’ for staff and the public.
The statement said: ‘To be clear no agreement has been made to change any working practices or social distancing arrangement…
‘Therefore if two metre social distancing cannot be maintained we consider it to be unsafe and members have the legal right to use the worksafe process.’
Data published by the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre last week revealed BAME patients are less likely to leave intensive care once admitted with Covid-19
Asian people had the highest chance of death, at 53.5 per cent, followed by Black people, at 52 per cent. Conversely, white people admitted to intensive care had a 45 per cent chance of death.
The data was compiled from 289 critical care units in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It showed 6,143 patients have left intensive care in the units since the outbreak began.
Daily Mail
