We are living through a new transformation of work. We are living in an Amazonian Era. The ethos, practices and business models that emerged within the gig economy have been packaged up and made available for download to the furthest corners of our essential services, reshaping the lives of millions of workers across Britain.

The number of people working for gig economy platforms has near-tripled in England and Wales over the past five years, according to new research published by the TUC today (Friday).

High levels of deprivation and job insecurity, vast income inequality, housing discrimination and medical disparities have long had a severe impact on the tangle of communities and ethnic minority populations that live in these boroughs. But when combined with the necessity to go to work, to take public transport and to share space in densely packed housing, they also provided the perfect breeding ground for a deadly virus. The domino effect would prove catastrophic.