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The Home Office moved dozens of asylum seekers involved in a Covid outbreak more than 120 miles despite an execution order saying they should remain in self-isolation for 14 days, The Guardian learned.
Contractors for the Interior Ministry have been accused of being “beyond reckless” in their handling of the initial outbreak.
Among those who moved despite self-isolation instructions, at least nine people were found to have Covid after testing, although the Interior Ministry had initially said that none had tested positive.
The initial outbreak occurred among asylum seekers at Home Office accommodation in Birmingham. Public health officials deemed it too overcrowded to be safe from Covid after at least 26 people tested positive. Compliance measures were taken by ordering everyone in the accommodation to self-isolate for 14 days, but the Home Office relocated 40 people to the Hammersmith and Fulham district of West London.
In a complaint letter sent to Home Secretary Priti Patel and seen by The Guardian, six councils in the Midlands accused Home Office contractors of being “beyond reckless” in their handling of the Birmingham outbreak. While a separate letter, from the council of Hammersmith and Fulham, accused the Home Office of moving Covid from one part of the country to another.
The government is urging everyone who has the virus, or who has been in contact with someone who has tested positive, to isolate themselves. Those who don’t run the risk of being fined.
The letter from the Midlands councils complains about the way the Home Office and its contractor Serco handled the outbreak at the Birmingham accommodation.
Signed by Ian Ward, Birmingham City Council Leader, and co-signed by Birmingham MP Edgbaston, Preet Gill, and the leaders of the Solihull, Wolverhampton, Coventry, Sandwell and Walsall city councils, the letter states that “no they took appropriate measures on site to prevent an outbreak ”at the accommodation in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Built to accommodate 270 asylum seekers and 30 employees, the accommodation consists of shared rooms for two people and shared bathrooms for five people. The dining room seats 100 people.
The letter, dated August 28, reads: “It is beyond reckless that, under the current circumstances, a supplier operating under the terms of a government-commissioned contract has failed to take adequate steps to prevent an outbreak and is continuing without take even the basic steps to protect the health of the vulnerable people they are paid to support. “
It says Birmingham City Council has taken enforcement action against Serco, requiring all residents to be moved to one-bedroom accommodation and that all residents be treated as Covid-infected and therefore required to self-isolate. same for 14 days. It says that the enforcement action must be served within 48 hours. However, the council of Hammersmith and Fulham confirmed that 40 people from Birmingham accommodation who were ordered to self-isolate for 14 days arrived in London on 31 August.
The London city council letter complains about the fact that the 40 asylum seekers were transferred to a hotel in their borough and the Home Office incorrectly told the city council that none of them had Covid. After conducting its own tests, the council found that nine of the group had coronavirus.
The letter to Patel reads: “If, as I assume, the Home Office is doing this on a larger scale across the country, it runs the risk of significantly contributing to the spread of Covid-19, undoing the efforts of responsible citizens and other government departments, the NHS and local authorities in Great Britain. This is not the kind of united government that will allow the UK to tackle the pandemic successfully. “
Steve Cowan, head of the Hammersmith and Fulham council, condemned the Home Office’s actions. “It is shocking that the Interior Ministry is knowingly and incompetently moving people across the country in a way that risks allowing the virus to spread at a time when people who have Covid or who are at risk of having Covid to stay home and self-isolate “.
A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: “The important thing to note is that Birmingham is a city that has always welcomed people fleeing persecution and we are proud that it remains a sanctuary city. But by opening our arms to asylum seekers, we must ensure that they get to safety. “
Stephen Hale, CEO of Refugee Action, said: “It is shocking that since the beginning of the pandemic, asylum seekers have been exposed to Covid due to poor accommodation where it has been difficult for them to isolate themselves, distance themselves or access adequate information. It is particularly concerning because many people in the asylum system come from ethnic minority, Asian and black communities, which have been disproportionately affected by the virus.
“As cases rapidly increase again, the government must ensure that some of the most vulnerable people in our communities have adequate shelter, can stay safe and follow the rules.”
At a public accounts selection committee hearing on Thursday, officials said 122 asylum seekers in hotels had tested positive for Covid. In response to questions from MPs about why asylum seekers had been transferred from one part of the country to another without local authorities being informed of their arrival, the Second Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry, Shona Dunn, said that the department was dealing with a fast. – moving situation and that he had done everything possible to collaborate with the local authorities.
Jenni Halliday, Serco’s director of contracts for accommodation and support for asylum seekers, said the company refuted the “allegations and inaccurate claims” made in the letter.
“Faced with the extraordinary challenges of a fast-moving situation involving highly distressed and scared people, the Serco team acted with great professionalism and care for asylum seekers in our accommodation, and their safety and well-being was always the top priority, Halliday said.
“If we had immediately reduced the number of people, this would have involved transferring large numbers of people, in direct contravention of Public Health England’s national guidelines and instructions [PHE] and the Interior Ministry, and Serco was not prepared to do that.
“However, we did what we were advised to do: move the minimum number of people to allow self-isolation of those who remained in [the Birmingham accommodation], and at a level agreed with PHE “.
A spokesman for the Home Office said: “During these unprecedented times, we have worked tirelessly with local authorities and other partners to provide asylum seekers, who would otherwise be destitute, with adequate accommodation, as required by the law.
“The health and well-being of asylum seekers has been and always will be the priority, and we will continue to provide support to those in need. The Home Office follows national guidelines regarding testing as set out by Public Health England.
