Southall one of the areas hardest hit by pandemic
TOWN HAS SUFFERED WITH A HIGH COVID MORTALITY RATE
THE west London town of Southall is one of Ealing’s most populous and diverse areas, but it has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Ealing’s infection rate of 155.1 is currently the third highest in London behind Hounslow and Hillingdon. Over the course of the pandemic the area has suffered with a high mortality rate of 172.6 per 100,000 residents as the virus has ravaged the community.
Although rates and cases are falling in the borough, some locals have taken to social media to vent their frustrations that a perceived lack of lockdown adherence in Southall has contributed to it being one of the worst hit areas in London.
In order to find out if Southall’s alarming reputation was justified, we visited the area to see for ourselves how lockdown was operating.
When we arrive on Southall’s town centre’s Broadway we are greeted by the sight of hundreds of pedestrians ambling about the streets.
Some are waiting in line at the bank, others are walking in the direction of the park.
It’s not quiet, but it’s not what you’d describe as ‘swarming’, not least in the opinion of local resident Raj, who was enjoying his lunch on a bench.
He told us the town was a lot quieter than it could be.
He said: “Southall is a very busy place, trust me – if people were breaking the rules this area would be a lot busier.
“All the shops are closed, people are only out to go to the bank and the grocery shops.
“If things were open, people would be swarming here.”
If you’re looking for signs that lockdown is in effect in the town, look no further than Southall Market which has been forced to almost close completely since January. The only businesses that remain able to trade are those selling essential foods, however trader Steve Stapleton tells us business has been far from booming.
He said: “Lockdown has tre
mendously affected my business as there are no locals coming out – people are abiding by the rules massively.
“Everyone wears a mask and keeps their distance. People don’t understand how many people live here. There’s a high population and people need to go to work.
“If anything, people here have stuck to the rules more than people elsewhere due to the extended families they live in.”
Steve’s opinion is shared by a fellow market trader who preferred to stay anonymous.
He said it was doubtful the market would return to its former glory after restrictions are eased.
He said: “The market normally stretches around the back, now we’re basically closed. We don’t know when we can open or whether we’ll get the footfall back.
“We just have to wait until people are allowed out.”
A reality of the coronavirus pandemic so far is the disproportionate effect it has had on ethic minority communities.
BAME communities make up more than 50% of Ealing borough’s population, a fact which has contributed to the higher rate of infection in the area.
According to the NHS Confederation, some groups are at higher risk of certain diseases and conditions – this may suggest an increased likelihood of becoming seriously ill with Covid-19.
According to resident Roop Lan, it has been noticeable that some portions of the Asian community have not been following the guidelines to the letter.
He said: “Lockdown has happened but you can see that people are out. I will not hesitate to say that the Asian community have not been following the rules as much as the white community has. There are lots of people who have come out today for no reason. They are frustrated, they can’t spend all their time at home.”
Following our visit to Southall, we approached Cllr Ranjit Dheer to see if the local authority was aware of the perceived lack of compliance in the area.
He told us that while Ealing as a borough had initially struggled to adapt to the new normal, compliance under the third lockdown had been good.
He said: “It’s a mixed picture, there are half a million people in the area. People have been going through this a whole year. Back in April last year it was quite new for people who were used to going to places of worship every day. Eventually everyone accepted it was in their own best interests not to go about their daily lives as normal.
“There is a feeling among councillors that in some ways people have taken it in a very fatalistic way. They believe what is going to happen is going to happen and there is no need to worry too much about it. It wasn’t the case that people worried too much about wearing a mask or social distancing.
“However, in this third lockdown I think it has been different.
“People have been jolted into the awareness that unless you change your habits you are going to be hit and you are going to be hit hard. Within the borough of Ealing, during the third lockdown we were in the upper quarter of London boroughs in terms of infection rates and deaths. We came to realise that there were similar numbers in east London with similar Asian settlements.
“It has improved though. People have seen that unless they change their lives and stop socialising in the community it will mean there’s a cost to pay.”
When asked why the area had seen higher death rates than other London boroughs, Cllr Dheer pointed to a range of societal factors in Ealing that contribute to transmission.
He said: “The latest situation is that the general rates have come down but we are still in the higher quarter of boroughs.
“There are many reasons for this including lots of inter-generational households and areas of low income and inequality.
“Many people here also work in public-facing jobs where risk of transmission is higher.
“People no longer have a fatalistic attitude – the reasons for the area’s high mortality rate and infection stem from a host of societal issues, not necessarily because people are breaking the rules.”