TOPLINE
A railway worker in London died last month after being spat on by a man who claimed to have coronavirus, the worker’s union announced Tuesday, raising questions about the safety of essential workers as the country looks to ease back on coronavirus restrictions.
A railway employee in London has died of coronavirus after being spat on during her shift at … [+]
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KEY FACTS
Belly Mujinga, a 47-year-old mother of one was on shift at Victoria Station in London on March 22—the day before Britain’s coronavirus lockdown began—when a man approached her and a colleague, claimed to have coronavirus and spat on them, according to The Guardian.
Both women later contracted the virus, Mujinga’s union, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) announced Tuesday—although it can not be confirmed whether this incident definitively led to their infection.
Mujinga was admitted to a London hospital on April 2 and put on a ventilator, but died just a few days later on April 5, two weeks after she was spat on at Victoria Station, TSSA said.
According to Mujinga’s family, her employer Govia Thameslink was aware she had underlying respiratory problems but still had her work among customers without PPE, even immediately after the spitting—though at that time, PPE was not required for staff per government advice, a Govia Thameslink spokesperson said.
The British Transport Police have launched a probe into the incident, but as of Tuesday, no one has reportedly been arrested.
Mujinga’s death has raised questions as to how workers, especially those with underlying conditions, can be kept safe as the country reopens and what liabilities employers have when people fall sick on the job.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“It is despicable for a key worker to be attacked in this way while serving the travelling public,” a Downing Street spokesperson told British media outlets Tuesday. “Our thoughts are with Mrs Mujinga’s family at this terrible time.”
KEY BACKGROUND
Cases of people spitting on others and claiming to be trying to infect others with the virus have been seen for months throughout the U.K. and other parts of the world. In April, a man in North Yorkshire was charged with spitting at two ambulance workers, and a Croydon man was sentenced to eight months in jail for spitting on a police officer. In March, the U.K. government announced it would charge “coronavirus coughs,” or intentional spreading of the virus, as assault. In the U.S., The Department of Justice wrote that anyone who intentionally spreads coronavirus could be violating federal terrorism laws, as coronavirus falls under federal law’s definition of a biological agent, according to a memo seen by Politico. In March, a woman in Pennsylvania was charged with two felony counts of terrorist threats and a felony count of threatening to use a “biological agent” after she spat on produce and meat at a grocery store and claimed to be sick.
FURTHER READING
Why Spitters Could Be Charged As Terrorists Because Of The Coronavirus (Forbes)
UK rail worker dies of coronavirus after being spat at while on duty (The Guardian)
Coronavirus: Ticket collector dies with COVID-19 after man claiming to have virus spat on her (Sky News)
UK rail worker died after being spat at by ‘COVID carrier’: union (Reuters)