Boris Johnson leads tributes to railworker who was spat at and died of Covid-19

Downing Street describes attack on Belly Mujinga as 'despicable'

Keyworker Belly Mujinga, 47, died of coronavirus after being spat at by a man at Victoria railway station in London. Family handout

A railway ticket officer in London who caught the coronavirus after being spat and coughed at while working on the concourse has died in hospital.

Belly Mujinga, 47, was on duty at the capital's Victoria Station on the morning of March 22 when a man said he had Covid-19, then spat and coughed at her and a female colleague.

Both women fell ill within days and the family of Ms Mujinga have now spoken of their grief that she was exposed to infection in the course of doing her job.

The key worker was admitted to Barnet Hospital on April 2 where she was put on a ventilator. She died three days later.

The British Transport Police have launched an inquiry to find the man who spat on the two women.

Govia Thameslink Railway, the women's employer, said it "took any allegations extremely seriously" and that it was investigating.

Ms Mujinga’s husband, Lusamba Gode Katalay, said the man asked his wife why she was there and what she was doing.

"She told him she was working and the man said he had the virus and spat on her," Mr Katalay said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the attack on Mujinga, who had underlying respiratory problems, was despicable as he led praise for her dedication to her job at a time when the coronavirus was spreading in the capital and elsewhere.

Mr Katalay recounted to reporters how he had regularly called his wife in hospital but at one point she did not pick up and he did not hear from her again.

"I thought she might be asleep but the doctor phoned me to tell me she had died," he said.

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  A pedestrian walks across the Millennium Bridge over the River Thames in London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans to let more people go to work. AP

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  Seats display social-distancing signs at London's Victoria Station, one of the capital's busiest transport centres. AP

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  Pedestrians cross the road on Southwark Bridge during the morning rush hour. AP

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  In Brighton, on the South Coast, the usually busy commuter rail station was very quiet. Getty

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  Commuters use cycle lanes as they travel into London. Getty Images

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  Traffic flows on the Embankment during the morning rush hour in London. AP

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  A temporary cycle lane has been created in Brighton to help persuade people to not use public transport Getty

"She was a good person, a good mother and a good wife. She was a caring person and would take care of everybody."

Ten people attended Ms Mujinga's funeral, including her daughter, 11.

Agnes Ntumba, her cousin, said Ms Mujinga had underlying health conditions and would have been safeguarded by remaining in her usual work environment - the ticket office. But she was deployed on the frontline to London Victoria's busy main hall.

"They should not have made her work on the concourse," she said.

"She shouldn't have died in this condition. We could have prevented it - if she had more PPE or if they kept her inside instead of being on the concourse."

On another frontline - in the National Health System - “systemic discrimination” against black, Asian and minority ethnic staff was raised on Wednesday evening as a factor in the disproportionate number of BAME medics and healthcare workers dying after contracting the virus.

According to 2,000 respondents to a survey by ITV News, 84 per cent of BAME NHS staff suggested that being deployed in roles with higher potential exposure to Covid-19 was a contributing factor. Seventy-three per cent blamed lack of adequate PPE, 50 per cent cited discrimination or fear of discrimination if they raised an issue, and 50 per cent mentioned health or underlying conditions.

Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, a trade union that represents transport workers in the UK, said that Ms Mujinga's death “raises serious questions”.

"We are shocked and devastated at Belly's death,” said its general secretary, Manuel Cortes.

"She is one of far too many frontline workers who have lost their lives to coronavirus.

"As a vulnerable person in the 'at-risk' category, and her condition known to her employer, there are questions about why she wasn't stood down from frontline duties early on in this pandemic."

MPs paid tribute to Ms Mujinga on Twitter. Labour MP and shadow justice secretary David Lammy described the incident as “absolutely horrific”.

“Belly Mujinga was spat at while working to keep the country running in the crisis," Mr Lammy said.

"Now she's dead. We must not forget her sacrifice."

Forty-two Transport for London  workers have died from the coronavirus, as well as 10 Network Rail staff, the latest figures show.

Britain is the second hardest hit country from Covid-19 in the world, with nearly 33,000 deaths and 227,740 people infected, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.