Agenda item

Question

I want to acknowledge what the Council has been and are doing to support the Borough over the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, it is now clear that members of the ethnic minority are likely to suffer more severe effects of COVID-19, resulting in higher than average mortality rates, as compared to non-ethnic minorities.

Have the Council considered this and what specific actions have they taken to protect and support their employees, and when working with the general public who are from ethnic minorities background?

Question

I want to acknowledge what the Council has been and are doing to support the Borough over the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, it is now clear that members of the ethnic minority are likely to suffer more severe effects of Covid-19, resulting in higher than average mortality rates, as compared to non-ethnic minorities.

Have the Council considered this and what specific actions have they taken to protect and support their employees, and when working with the general public who are from ethnic minorities background?

Answer

Thank you for your acknowledgement of the work done by Council officers and Councillors of all parties to support residents during the Covid pandemic.  I have seen several members of your party at the Food Distribution Hub and it is very welcome.

Specifically to answer your question; A recent report by Public Health England identified a major number of inequalities:

• Risk of dying following a positive test for Covid-19 (pillar 1):
• 70 times higher in people 80 years or older than those under 40
• Higher in males than females
• Higher in those living in the more deprived areas vs those living in the least deprived areas (2x)
• Higher in many Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups than the White British ethnic group

In Wokingham, we have designed an individual risk assessment to support employees and their managers to consider any additional measures that may need to be put in place to ensure employees are protected and fully supported.  While there is no specific medical guidance about what these protective measures should be for ethnic minorities, we are recommending that the measures advised by the Government for those who are classified as ‘clinically vulnerable’, should be followed.

Supplementary Question:

In case we are in a similar situation as Leicester and Wokingham has to shut down, would it be all of Wokingham or would it say be Earley or Woodley, part of Wokingham, or would it be all of it?

Supplementary Answer:

The Council has a separate body basically, chaired by my colleague Councillor Halsall, which includes all health professionals, local health professionals from Public Health England and the NHS etc., which monitors it.  Your colleague Councillor Hare sits on it.  That would control the reaction to anything that did happen here.  I think, being honest with you, it is likely that we are going to have more cases, and we have to be honest about that.  I would say to all residents to remain vigilant and to follow the appropriate medical advice in terms of symptoms. 

The direct answer to your question is that it would depend on how grave an outbreak would be.  The Council has published a Plan, which has been available for some weeks, 114 or 115 pages long, which outlines all the different scenarios should there be an outbreak in a school, community centre, a care home, a shopping area etc. and what would happen.  That is available for the general public.  It is a very comprehensive plan and something that I fully support, and contributed to by not just officers from my own department, but officers from across the Council.