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LONDON: A UK railway station worker died of COVID-19 last month after someone spit and coughed her saying she had the virus, her union said on Tuesday (May 12).
The TSSA transport union said Belly Mujinga, 47, contracted the virus with a colleague a few days after the assault on the couple at London’s Victoria station on March 22.
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“They were at the entrance to the box office when they were assaulted by a member of the public who spat on them,” the union said in a statement.
“The man coughed on them and told them he had the virus.”
Several days later, Mujinga’s doctor asked for sick leave, saying he suffered from underlying respiratory problems, the TSSA said.
She was then removed from work but became ill and on April 2 she was taken to the hospital and put on a respirator, she added.
Mujinga died three days later, leaving an 11-year-old daughter and husband.
READ: UK death toll COVID-19 exceeds 38,000, worst in Europe
The union said it had reported the case to railway industry security guards for investigation and that it was also receiving legal advice “on the situation and supporting his family and colleagues.”
British transport police are also investigating the incident, he added. BTP did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
TSSA Secretary General Manuel Cortés said Mujinga was “one of too many front-line workers who have lost their lives to the coronavirus.”
READ: UK to establish details on how to make workplaces safer as closure begins
He called the families of all the workers who died from COVID-19 to receive compensation from the government, which has so far only been promised to victims of health workers.
Cortés also questioned whether Southern Railway did enough to protect her and her other staff from the virus.
“There are serious questions about his death, it was not inevitable,” Cortés said.
Angie Doll, managing director of Southern Railway, said the company was “devastated” by Mujinga’s death.
“We take the allegations very seriously and are investigating these claims,” he added, noting that the safety of clients and staff “remains a priority at all times.”
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