This morning, two hours after we published an open letter to the Home Secretary, from asylum seekers at Mclays, on our blog, Steve Robbins from Mears Group sent an email at 10.00 AM to a mailing list for third sector organisations in Glasgow (which Positive Action in Housing is excluded from). The email states that there are now “three confirmed COVID 19 cases” and “all low risk non symptomatic Service Users have been informed they can now exit the lockdown conditions and move freely in line with government measures”.
Robina Qureshi said:
“We understand that there are 3 confirmed cases of Covid 19 and 8 people have been told to self isolate. However, that leaves 33 people inside Mclays guesthouse who have been told they can exit lockdown. None have been tested. Will Mears test the asylum seekers for Covid and relocate them to clean, unshared flats? We are concerned that the longer people have to remain in the guesthouse, the more likely it is that they risk being infected. We are concerned that Mears will continue to act as if there is no pandemic and move people to dirty, shared flats with people who have not been tested.“
“There has been a tripling of confirmed cases. People’s healths are at stake. Glasgow’s public health is also of concern and we call on the Scottish health minister to ensure that people are tested and transferred safely to clean unshared accommodation, especially as the virus is on the increase, and set to worsen.”
Email from Steve Robbins of Mears Group sent at 10.00 AM Saturday 3 October 2020 to a mailing list of third sector organisations in Glasgow:
“We have been advised by Public Health Scotland that the lockdown restrictions which were implemented on the 30th September can now be reduced.
“What we will be doing moving forward:
“10am Saturday 3rd October all low risk non symptomatic Service Users have been informed they can now exit the lockdown conditions and move freely in line with government measures. They may be contacted in the future by track and trace teams but in the meantime the are able to leave their rooms
“We now have three confirmed COVID 19 cases, these are all from the same area of the hotel. As a precaution and as advised by PHS, eight others from this area of the hotel will continue to self isolate until a full trace has been completed. Measures are in place to ensure the comfort and support of these service users
“We have received good feedback from PHS and Environmental Health on the steps be have taken and also the processes we have had in place to support social distancing , these will continue to be in place moving forward.”
Kind regards
Steve
Read more
Asylum seekers locked down with confirmed cases of Covid 19 at Mclays Guest House in Glasgow have written an open letter to the Home Secretary pleading to be tested immediately and then relocated out of the hotel into private unshared accommodation.
https://www.paih.org/open-letter-from-locked-down-glasgow-asylum-seekers/
Confirmed report of a case of Covid 19 at Mclays Guesthouse in Glasgow which houses around 90 asylum seekers. See letter and link and more below.
https://www.paih.org/reports-of-covid-19-case-confirmed-at-a-glasgow-guesthouse-housing-asylum-seekers/
ENDS