This is bbc news, the headlines an enormous crowd of opponents of the belarusian president , alexander lu kashenko, has gathered in minsk to demand his resignation. It comes amid growing anger over alleged poll rigging, and Police Violence at subsequent protests. But the president has vowed to stay in power, claiming belarus is under threat from foreign forces. The speaker of the us house of representatives, nancy pelosi, has said that she will recall the chamber later this week to vote on legislation to protect the Postal Service. Democrats have accused President Trump of trying to hamstring the cash strapped Postal Service to suppress postal voting in novembers election. New zealands Prime Minister has announced that general elections due to take place in mid september have been postponed because of a fresh covid 19 outbreak. Jacinda ardern said date has been pushed back to october the 17th, giving parties time to resume their suspended election campaigns. Now on bbc news, as wales begins to emerge from lockdown, bbc wales investigates looks at why people from ethnic minority backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by coronavirus. Its been a struggle, but its been a blessing as well, having her at home. Yasmin khatuns 84 year old mum is one of more than 100,000 people still shielding in wales. Her family are well aware that black and asian people in the uk are more susceptible to covid 19. In fact, theyre almost twice as likely to die with it. This was one of the last ones when we bought the dogs. Nicola minchers partner raza ghulam was a busy warehouse manager, looking forward to the birth of his second grandchild. I said to raz, i really dont want you going to work. Its really scary. The position we were in obviously with our mortgage and normal everyday bills, he was like, you know, ive got to go to work, i cant afford to have time off. He was looking after his dad, he was looking after his mum, taking his holidays and days off taking them to their hospital appointments. 54 year old raza, from newport, had asthma. Just before lockdown started, he fell ill. Within two days he was having trouble breathing. I said, raz, im going to call
ambulance for you. He was scaring me. He said, people dont come home from this. I said, dont talk like that, raz. I love you, dont talk like that. Youve got to fight this. I said, you fight this the boys for the new baby. And i give him a kiss. Its the last time i spoke to him. I phoned him when he got into the hospital. Hejust said, look after your mother. Raza had covid 19 and was put on a ventilator. His elderly father died the same day. Raza never found out. For about a week i think i was just in denial. Thinking, its a virus and hes ill but hes going to come through it, i wasjust in denial, like a lot of people i think. While raza lay in hospital, his family buried his father
just a few miles away. But then, another blow. Razas brother, ghulam, also contracted covid 19. More than 1,500 people have died from coronavirus here in wales, but it has hit some communities harder than others. Why is that . And if the warning signs were there for decades, why has it taken a pandemic for us to sit up and take notice . At the beginning of lockdown, those working on the front line were starting to raise concerns about what they were seeing. They say very openly, many of them right from the start, we are really scared. When we see the images on the tv screens and social media, we know that we are disproportionately impacted. But when ive got to make
a choice between putting food on the table and paying my bills, what do you think im going to do . And when we started to see the number of whether it was doctors, nurses, care workers, cleaners, porters and so forth dying again, it was predominantly from those communities, and many of them are in a position where they have to take on the extra shifts. So, therefore, they are naturally overly exposed. Ao year old julius, a Health Care Support worker in south wales, has died in hospital after contracting coronavirus. Maricar sana came to the uk from the philippines in 2005 to work in a care home. Her husband julius and julius sisterjovelyn both worked in health care. At first he worked as agency. Then he applied for a permanent job in st peter because they always put him in that in that hospital. Was there coronavirus in the place where he was working . Yeah, i think it started. Because on two occasions he brought a patient to the hospital, he was positive and i think he died. The patient was positive and he died . And whenjulius brought this patient to hospital, did he have any protection himself . Ithink, yeah, because. Before he went to the hospital, we were telling him to and i gave him, i give him gloves and a mask as well. Because, you know, its a bit scary as well. Julius had diabetes, which put him more at risk from covid 19. How good was the ppe, was it a full mask . No. Its just the face covering. He was wearing what official guidance at the time said was the right protection for staff working alongside covid positive patients. We were asking, like, is this enough . You know, like we see on the telly in china or in the philippines, theyre already wearing like full ppe like theyre an astronaut. But there we are just wearing a mask at that time. But they said that was the guidelines. Tell me about when julius fell ill . Just a fever. And then it was on and off, so he isolate himself. So i was telling him that maybe we go to hospital, they will give you antibiotic and youll be, youll be fine. And then the next day he was intubated. It was the day of his
daughters fifth birthday. They said that hopefully after like a week or ten days he will be awake and we can facetime him. So we waited for that day. They called maricar and they said that hes having a cardiac arrest. Then after a few, like ten minutes, they said hed passed away. Julius was just a0 years old. Are people sometimes frightened to say no or frightened not to go to work because they they may lose money or they may not get paid . I think hes a person that he doesnt want people
to think about that hes lazy. Was he very proud about the work he did . Yes, i think because maybe its a part ofjob. 16 health and social care workers died in wales in the first wave of covid 19. At least ten were from ethnic minority backgrounds. And of those, seven were filipino. Scenes like this, in north wales, became a common sight across the country. Dr David Nabarro is one of the worlds leading experts on covid 19. An expression i sometimes use now, is covid is a great revealer. It reveals vulnerability and fragility in many of the systems that exist in our society. You say its a revealer, but were you surprised to learn that, you know, bame people were disproportionately affected by that . Yeah, i personally was. I mean, i want to be honest with you. Just seeing life through the lens of covid certainly changed my view of many issues. Its notjust workers who have been affected. Some ethnic minority groups also have higher levels of illnesses, like cardiovascular disorders and diabetes, that are risk factors for covid 19. My mum is diabetic, and i monitor her blood sugar levels throughout the day with a monitor. Hi, yas, im wyre. Yasmins mum fularun is shielding and has moved in with the family. Its a breath of fresh air. Its been four months and we havent been out of the house. We started out on self imposed lockdown a week or so before the official lockdown because we really felt like we needed to protect. Yasmin and her daughter alina have been filming their daily routines. So she has carers come and go four times a day. And theres also myself. Im with her like 21w, trying to manage her health issues, her medication and make her0k. Research shows that carers from black and asian backgrounds provide more care, proportionately, than White British carers. Bangladeshi and pakistani carers also experience greater levels of isolation. Whats it been like for you . Learning to do things, getting things done and also
just taking care of my grandma, which makes me happy as well. Shes now part of her grandmas daily routine so shes learnt a lot, yes, and shes learnt how to make tea. Statistics show that ethnic minority workers are twice as likely to be on agency contracts, and more likely to be in lower paid jobs. Bangladeshi men are also four times more likely to work in industries that closed during lockdown than white men. When we were looking down the list of the sectors that were due to shutdown, we already knew that certain people were going to be most disproportionately impacted economically. And if they were going to be impacted economically, ultimately, health wise they were going to be impacted too. And in the meantime, the bills are piling up,
the landlord is asking for the rent, what are you going to do . Youre going to go out there and youre gonna do what you can. Taxi driver ghulam and his brother raza had both been working in the weeks before they fell ill. Now, they were both on the same intensive care ward. 0n the 22nd of april, nicola was called in to the hospital. As i walked in there was about ten nurses and doctors surrounding his bed talking to him, and holding his hands, they never left his side until i got there. Never, they were always there. And i give him a kiss on the cheek and i was holding his hands with his prayer beads, and within five minutes they said his heart stopped. I couldnt hug my sons. I had to tell them over the phone. You think your dads are invincible, you think theyre going to be there forever. Unintentionally take your dads for granted, you take your parents for granted. So many opportunities, so many days have just been torn away. 12 hours after razas death, ghulam also died with covid 19. We loved him so much. To my daughters, he wasnt their dad, he was their hero. His wife shamim is observing iddah, a traditional mourning period for widows, so isnt showing herface. Weve always worked, every day and i said to him, its time to have some time for me and you, and thats what we planned, but god has other plans. Black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die as white people in england and wales of coronavirus, according to the office for national statistics. By may, the impact on people from ethnic minorities in low paid jobs, and from deprived areas, was becoming increasingly clear. We commissioned our own research into links between ethnicity and deprivation and found that people from minority ethnic backgrounds in wales are more likely than white people to live in areas where deprivation has got worse since 2011. All of these things
are intrinsically linked. That ends up of being that one of the reasons why people from bame communities are more affected by covid. I think the black lives Matter Movement has awoken a lot of people who have a lot of things in common. There are people who are shielding. Theres very little help out there for the self employed. Yet despite lots of assurances, we have found that some of our people have not been able to access those support mechanisms. Yasmin has found herself caring for her mum full time since the start of lockdown. She says help has been slow in arriving. I have been in isolation with her for four plus months. I have played a big part in keeping her out of hospital. It takes a lot and it has been challenging. And i feel like when ive asked for support its been a very big struggle, and i do feel like its had an emotional and mental impact on me. What extra help could you have done with . Support for maybe someone to check on her in the night and some more support in the day. A carer needs respite as well. My sister is here with a food parcel for my mum. I felt overlooked. Anything i said or extra support i did ask for, it was a big battle because somewhere in their head, i dont think they realised but they had bias. They thought they had a big family. Did anybody in social services ever suggest to you that you have a big family . Yes, it was the Community Health services and social services. Thank you so much, thank you very much. I dont think its overtly racist, i think its subconsciously prejudiced. You cantjust assume that everybody is able to access care with the same alacrity
just because it is free. I think we also have to understand that there may be quite a lot of barriers in the home or in the community that prevent people from accessing care. All authorities really do need to take account of the big inequities in employment conditions, in living conditions, and indeed in access to vital services. News report some front line workers from ethnic minorities could face certain death without urgent action. That is the stark warning from the British Association of physicians of indian origin. Facing increasing pressure to take action, the Welsh Government set up
an Advisory Group. Judge ray singh and his Team Immediately went to work. We realised that we needed a Risk Assessment of the doctors, nurses, and front line workers. It takes about 60 seconds to 90 seconds to complete it. Now, had we had that before, these people would have never died or contracted those illnesses because we would have pulled them back. So a form that takes a minute and a half to complete, had that been available at the onset, do you think some lives could have been saved . Indeed. So should the Welsh Government have been better prepared . If that Risk Assessment tool had been in place earlier, when we first knew about the risk, more lives could have been saved. Thats what ray singh thinks. Do you agree with him . Well, i mean, ray is the person who we respect and trust to help us carry out this work. Anything that we could have done, obviously we would have wanted to have done it. I mean, there isnt a tool like this that is operating so effectively in the rest of the uk. Brothers raza and ghulam were buried on the same day. Applause only ten people could be at their funeral, so ghulams colleagues found another way to
pay their respects. For razas son connor, the link between employment and covid 19 seems clear. Everyone knows theres certain roles out there that only and they re often the most at risk. Taxi drivers cant stop working altogether, because mortgage providers arent going to say, ok, freeze your mortgage for an infinite amount of time. You know, its a rock and a hard place. In late june, judge singhs Advisory Group published this report. It found race inequalities exist in wales and made 37 urgent recommendations to protect communities from covid 19 and address embedded structural inequality. Youre living with racism, youre experiencing racism and racism is embedded in the institution which, in fact, controls workforce, housing, and everything. Do you think government and leaders in the public and the private sector get that link . Not all of them are getting it. There are some who will continue to protect their own positions. As a result, they will not see it. They dont want to see it. But there are people who are extremely committed to ensuring that racism is eliminated. Just before lockdown, the Welsh Government launched a strategy to improve representation of ethnic minorities, and other groups, in public appointments. But the report says not enough has been done. Are you worried that we wont act upon these recommendations and well move on to the next crisis, the next problem . I always worry, having spent five decades in fighting for equality. But i see commitment at the moment and i do hope that they will act upon it. For alina and yasmin, the help theyve been asking for may finally be here. Social services have agreed to visit and reassess fularuns needs. I almost feel as if theyre doubting me, judging me and thinking its my needs, but ultimately, its about my mum. Im so nervous, thinking, what if theyre coming tomorrow not believing that my mum has those needs . So how did the meeting with social services go . It went well. I even had a chat with my mums new social worker today. So how did the meeting with social services go . It went well. I even had a chat with my mums new social worker today. Its all very positive, good, and shes doing an action plan of my mums needs and what she needs support with. I think im, personally, im still in fear of going out and everything. I still want to continue to shield. Cardiff council said they aim to give support to families thats right for them. But they said they will work to understand, and address, yasmins concerns. Covid is still here. What needs to be done now to make sure that those inequalities dont lead to disproportionate numbers of people from ethnically diverse backgrounds suffering and dying in the second and third spikes . I want to see action. I think the reports are there, the recommendations are there. I think we need a public inquiry, warts and all. We need to be prepared to get uncomfortable. The tuc have asked for a public inquiry. Do you agree with that . Well, i think we should implement the action plan that were delivering on the race equality strategy. And i think thats what people expect. Weve got the evidence,
weve had the reports. Weve found that, in the last 20 years, at least ten uk wide reports have raised the issue of Health Inequalities in wales. This is just another one of those. Why havent they been acted on in the past . Well, i mean, we didnt know what the impact of covid 19 would be as a virus. But we knew about Socio Economic inequalities, youre absolutely right. Weve got to accept that there are structural inequalities. Racism . And, and theres racism. We cannot, and theres absolutely no way, that we should be either complacent or think this doesnt apply to us in wales. Brothers raza and ghulam were buried side by side, near their fathers grave. Since then, their family has welcomed a new arrival. She was born on 6th ofjuly, our granddaughter, razas princess. We are absolutely over the moon. Papa julius jovelyns returned to work, and new guidelines mean that shes finally got the ppe she wanted. Jovelyns returned to work, and new guidelines mean that shes finally got the ppe she wanted. We have to use a visor now, with. I said, though, this is what we needed before. Injuly, julius would have celebrated his 41st birthday. Angel in heaven. Life is too short. You dont know whats happened next. Its taken a pandemic to reveal the embedded inequalities that, to many People Living here in wales, were obvious all along. Now that their voices are finally being heard, the question is, will those in power take notice . Hello there. We had lots of thunderstorms across england and wales on sunday, there was a slight little snippet there are catches you out but its not every day you but i am on see one of these. This was spotted in somerset and newport in south wales. Weve seen some rain, thundery, moving northwards. This system will split into two pieces, i think, with the rain making little progress farther northwards. That means there will be rain outside across Greater Manchester and merseyside, clearing across the midlands and eventually across wales too, the weather slowly coming down over the next few hours. The north of england, Northern Ireland and scotland staying dry with low cloud. Some drizzle along the eastern coast as well. Monday, broadly speaking, were looking at another showery day, and this time the showers will be farther north, affecting scotland and Northern Ireland for a time, but its in england that the showers will be, capable of some localised flooding. Thats your weather. Welcome to bbc news. Im aaron safir. Our top stories chanting in belarus, huge crowds fill the streets in one of the biggest protests yet against the president. But alexander lu kashenko remains defiant, telling his supporters he wont give up his country after a week of demonstrations against his contested re election. New zealands general election is postponed because of a fresh outbreak of covid 19. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces a vote to prevent changes in Postal Services ahead of the us election. And in thailand, more anti government
rallies in bangkok,