Andrew Dismore

Coronavirus inspired racism

Question No: 2020/1330

Andrew Dismore

East Asian restaurant and other businesses are suffering because of Coronavirus inspired racism and racist comments have been directed at Chinese children. Will you support the #iwilleatwithyou campaign to stand up to and reject this racist behaviour?

Written response from the Mayor

This is a very fast moving emergency situation, so please note that this response was based on the developments and advice given at the time.

I have always and will continue to make it clear that no form of racism or discrimination will be tolerated in London. Any use of the virus as an excuse for harassment, especially towards Chinese children is completely unacceptable.

I am aware of national reports of increases in hate crime against the Chinese community following the publicity of the Coronavirus. The situation is being monitored daily and to date there has not been a significant increase in reported hate crime in London but we know that there is growing community concern.

My teams are actively monitoring the impact that concerns about Coronavirus are having on businesses and tourism in the capital. There are no reasons for Londoners and visitors to the capital not to continue to go about their daily lives, enjoying the capital’s excellent attractions, shopping and restaurants.

If you are targeted in any way – verbally or physically abused – or witness any such incident, I would encourage you to report it to the police by calling 101 (999 in an emergency), visiting a local police station or using the online reporting tool, which can be found here: https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/hco/hate-crime/how-to-report-hate-crime/. This will help the police to identify those responsible and better enable the deployment of police officers to vulnerable areas.

 

Coronavirus impact (2)

Question No: 2020/1332

Andrew Dismore

has any assessment been made about the impact of a COVID-19 pandemic on London’s emergency service staffing levels and ability to respond to an emergency?

Written response from the Mayor

This is a very fast moving emergency situation, so please note that this response was based on the developments and advice given at the time.

All Category 1 and 2 responders have reviewed their Business Continuity arrangements and their pandemic preparedness, following the London Resilience Forum that took place on 6 February. All organisations continue to review their plans in light of any new evidence and intelligence.

All emergency services, as Category 1 responders, have a statutory duty to have in place business continuity plans for events like pandemics.  These plans are well prepared and tested.

 

Resilience to coronavirus of emergency services

Question No: 2020/1357

Andrew Dismore

How will blue light staff get to work in the event of restrictions on travel owing to coronavirus? 

Written response from the Mayor

This is a very fast moving emergency situation, so please note that this response was based on the developments and advice given at the time.

There is currently no suggestion that restrictions on travel will be imposed. The maintenance of essential services to enable London to function is core to the principle of any emergency response. This includes our highly resilient transport network. I continue to follow expert advice, and there is no suggestion that we should restrict travel to such an extent that critical employees such as the emergency services staff cannot get to work.