British railworker dies of coronavirus after being coughed and spat at

A railway ticket officer in London who caught the coronavirus after being spat and coughed at while working 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.

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, their employer, said it “took any allegations extremely seriously” and that it was investigating.

Muringa’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.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the attack on Mujinga, who had underlying respiratory problems, was “despicable”.

Mr Katalay called his wife in hospital but 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.

“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 Mujinga’s funeral, including her daughter, 11.

Transport Salaried Staffs ’Association, a trade union that represents transport workers in the UK, said that her 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 front-line 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 Mujinga on Twitter. Labor 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.