Mother, 47, dead from corona... after being spat at
Rail ticket clerk dies from virus after stranger spits at her, saying ‘I’ve got Covid’
A RAIL ticket clerk has died of coronavirus after being spat at on duty.
Belly Mujinga, 47, was on the concourse at Victoria station in London when a customer, who said he had Covid-19, spat and coughed at her and a female colleague.
Within days of the assault, both women fell ill with the virus. Mrs Mujinga, who had underlying respiratory problems, was admitted to Barnet Hospital and put on a ventilator. She died on April 5.
Downing Street said last night: ‘It is despicable for a key worker to be attacked in this way while serving the travelling public.
‘Our thoughts are with Mrs Mujinga’s family at this terrible time.’
Her husband, Lusamba Gode Katalay, said the last he saw or heard from her was on a video call. ‘I thought she might be asleep, but the doctor phoned me to tell me she had died,’ he told the BBC. ‘She was a good person, a good mother and a good wife.
‘She was a caring person and would take care of everybody.’
Only ten people were able to attend Mrs Mujinga’s funeral, including her only child Ingrid, 11. She died just three days after being taken to hospital in an ambulance.
Mr Katalay told Sky News that ticket staff were not given masks or gloves. ‘It’s her employer, the company and the state who have to look at that,’ he said. ‘She’s dead and we buried her without being able to see her. Justice must be done. If the person is caught he needs to do his sentence – for Belly.’
Mrs Mujinga’s cousin, Agnes Ntumba, said the attacker first asked the railway workers why they were there. She added: ‘Then the person said “I’ve got Covid” and straight away he spat at them.’
Mrs Mujinga and her colleague allegedly asked their boss to contact the police but there was no record of any call.
Following the attack she also asked to work behind a screen in the ticket office but was sent back out to the concourse, her trade union has alleged. Manuel Cortes, head of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, said: ‘We are shocked and devastated at Belly’s death. She is one of far too many front-line 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.
‘This compensation should be extended to the families of all front-line workers. Belly’s is just one of many family tragedies where children have had their parents taken away from them.
‘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 front-line duties early on in this pandemic.’ He said the rail industry must put protections in place for ‘all our members and our passengers’.
British Transport Police launched an investigation on Monday.
Govia Thameslink Railway, which employed Mrs Mujinga, said it was taking the matter very 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. We urge people only to travel if it is absolutely essential.’
A fundraising page has been set up, already raising £1,500 to support Mrs Mujinga’s family.
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