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Belly Mujinga fell victim to an appalling attack in London in March when she was assaulted and spat on by someone who claimed to be COVID-19 positive. She died in April following complications from the disease and had an underlying health condition.

Who was Belly Mujinga?

Belly Mujinga, 47, was a British ticket office worker stationed at Victoria Station with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR).

On March 22, she was working with a colleague when a member of the public claiming to have COVID-19 assaulted and spat on them.

Both colleagues later fell ill with the disease, and Ms Mujinga received treatment at Barnet Hospital, where she died on April 5.

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She was a member of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), which reported the incident to the Office for Road and Rail’s Railway Inspectorate.

British Transport Police launched inquiries into her death in April but ruled out a murder investigation.

Her union, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), said Ms Mujinga and her colleague had “begged” to work indoors for protection from potential COVID-19 carriers.

They said: “Belly and her colleague begged to be let to work from inside the building with a protective barrier between them and the public for the rest of that day.”

“Management said they needed people working outside and sent them back out onto the concourse for the rest of their shift.”

The British Transport Police concluded their investigation on May, 29, confirming the incident was unrelated to her death after questioning witnesses and reviewing CCTV footage.

In a statement, they said they would take no further action on the matter.

TSSA General Secretary Manuel Cortes spoke after the statement, saying the case outlined how “vital” it was for rail workers to have appropriate PPE.

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He said: “What is clear is that protective equipment is absolutely vital to protect front line workers like Belly.

“All transport workers on the front line should have access to masks, visors, hand sanitiser and other protective equipment.”

He added: “Our thoughts and support remain with Belly’s family and her colleagues throughout this time.”

Belly’s death from COVID-19 came before a review into deaths from the disease which revealed BAME members were at an increased risk of death.

A report on BAME deaths from Public Health England (PHE) found people in ethnic minorities are at a higher risk from COVID-19.

Men amongst the group remain the most at risk, and age is another determining factor.

The coronavirus impact also disproportionately affects Asian, Caribbean and black ethnicities but added it was not clear why.

The Government said it asked equalities minister Kemi Badenoch to work on the issue alongside PHE, but offered no advice for BAME people during the pandemic.

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