Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to tackling inequalities experienced by the BAME community as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Guided by medical and scientific expertise, the Government has implemented significant measures to reduce the spread of the virus in all communities, especially for people who may be at higher risk. This includes targeted testing of occupations and groups at higher risk; guidance for NHS organisations on how to enhance their existing risk assessments particularly for potentially at-risk groups within their workforce; and translating the latest information into multiple languages and forms to meet accessibility needs.

In addition to these measures, on 4 June as Minister for Equalities, I announced Government’s next steps to address the disparities identified in the Public Health England (PHE) Report “COVID-19: review of disparities in risks and outcomes”. The Minister will be working with the Race Disparity Unit (RDU) and the Department for Health and Social Care with support from officials across other departments and their agencies to carry forward this vital work. This includes reviewing the effectiveness and impact of current actions being undertaken by relevant government departments and their agencies to directly lessen disparities in infection and death rates of COVID-19.