MP accuses Government over city’s spike in Covid-19 cases
THE Government has lifted lockdown too early, claims Leicester East MP Claudia Webbe.
Responding to a spike in coronavirus cases in the city, as reported in the Leicester Mercury on Saturday, the Labour MP accused the Government of failing to adequately protect communities “at every step in this crisis – from lockdown delay, equipment shortages, care home neglect, testing lies and much more”.
“That is why the UK has the worst coronavirus death rate per capita of any country in the world,” she said.
Ms Webbe pledeged to monitor the track and trace system “to ensure that it operates effectively and transparently”, adding: “I have been concerned with the delays, detail and quality of data, and inefficient involvement of private companies in the Government’s national testing plans.”
She said: “This Government has lifted lockdown measures prematurely when compared to public health indicators in other countries.
“It is alarming that news of a spike in Leicester arrived on the same day the national Covid-19 threat level had been lowered.
“We know that existing racial and class inequalities, coupled with inadequate government support, mean that working-class people, migrants and African, Asian and minority ethnic communities are at greater risk of and exposure to Covid-19. As Leicester East is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse places in the UK, we disproportionately suffer from these discrepancies.
“Forty-two per cent of our children live in poverty.
“Our average weekly income is £130 less than the entire East Midlands and £160 less than the UK average.
“This is the context in which the coronavirus crisis is operating.
“The virus itself may not discriminate, but our economic and social system certainly does.
“I strongly encourage everyone to keep taking the safety precautions that they have been, including washing our hands regularly throughout the day, wearing a face mask in public, keeping two metres away from anyone we don’t live with and minimising contact with others.
“I have been meeting with the Government about the situation and spike in infections
“I will keep fighting for the safety and wellbeing of everyone in Leicester East.
“I am working tirelessly to lobby the government, public health officials and local stakeholders to ensure that Leicester receives the best possible protection from this virus.”