Covid inquiry: Race should be at its core, say campaigners

Race should be made a central part of the UK's independent public inquiry into the pandemic, campaigners say.

A letter seen by BBC News, sent to the chairwoman of the Covid-19 inquiry, calls for it to look at "racism as a key issue" at every stage.

Ethnic minorities were significantly more likely to die with Covid-19, according to official figures.

An inquiry spokesperson said the unequal impacts of the pandemic would be at the forefront of its work.

People from ethnic minority backgrounds who lost loved-ones during the pandemic also told BBC News they felt "sidelined" by the process so far.

The letter to Baroness Hallett, who is chairing the inquiry, has been co-ordinated by the group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice and race equality think tank Runnymede. It calls for ethnic minority communities to be "placed firmly at the centre" of the inquiry.

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Source: BBC News, 28 February 2023