Adil Ray: ‘Virus advice does not reflect cultural needs’

by LAUREN CODLING

BROADCASTER Adil Ray has called out the government and mainstream media’s “utter systemic failure” to communicate Covid-19 advice to British Asian communities.

His comments follow the release of a new coronavirus advice video co-organised by Ray, and tailored to reach the Asian community. It was initiated following statistics which showed that more than a third of the first 3,883 critically ill coronavirus patients came from a non-white background.

Last month, the government announced a review into the disproportionate number of BAME patients who were impacted by the Covid-19 infection.

Asked if he believed that the government had done enough to reach out to British Asians, Ray said there had been a “complete and utter systemic failure from the government and media organisations to communicate to the heartland of these groups”.

“There were a lot of discussions on mainstream TV when the initial guidelines came out, but there wasn’t enough discussion on the cultural needs of people,” Ray told Eastern Eye. “They didn’t seem to take into consideration.”

The three-minute clip starring Ray – which also features several Asian celebrities, among them Meera Syal and Anita Rani – appeals to the community with “an urgent message” to stick to government coronavirus guidelines and protect the elderly and vulnerable.

The idea for the video was prompted by the need to “do something during these unprecedented times,” Ray said. “It is evident that some of the advice and messages are not getting to some communities when they need it most,” he added. “We hope that we can make even a small difference.”

Claiming that socially deprived groups are more likely to suffer during the pandemic, Ray noted previous government data showed ethnic minority groups (except Indians) were more likely than white British people to live in the most deprived 10 per cent of neighbourhoods

in England. As a result, he believed that social inequality was a big factor behind the large number of Asians affected.

“Looking at the social and health inequality in the UK, I think the writing was on the wall that if such a crisis as Covid-19 was to happen, then the very poor were going to be the ones to suffer,” Ray said. “Unfortunately, that means a disproportionate number of British Asian people – that is just a fact.”

According to Ray, some Asians may find it difficult to maintain social distancing as they were more likely to live in inter-generational households. If someone was living with their grandparents in a small house, for instance, it could be difficult to separate from the rest of the family, he explained.

“It is lovely if a young child wants to run and hug their grandparents, but we can’t afford to do that,” Ray said. “In the video, we have advised the elderly to stay in a separate room or if they are unable to do that, give them a separate space in the living area and keep the window open for circulation of fresh air. The best thing we can do is get that messaging out there.”

Prime minister Boris Johnson has urged people to obey the lockdown and stay home during the crisis. However, Ray believes this could have been an opportunity to release guidelines tailored to specific groups.

“A letter could have gone to multi-generational families and could have been specific about what it would mean for them,” Ray suggested. “(It could have answered) what ‘isolation’ means if you are living with your grandparents or big families in a small house. I think targeted advice could be a good thing.”