The first report from a public inquiry into Britain’s response to the COVID-19 epidemic will be released on Thursday, with an emphasis on the level of readiness the country had for managing the pandemic.
With over 230,000 COVID-related deaths reported by December 2023, Britain has one of the highest rates of COVID mortality worldwide.
In May 2021, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued an order for the inquiry, which was formally started the following year under the direction of former judge Heather Hallett.
The inquiry was told in early evidence that the government was under-prepared and had failed to anticipate measures needed to protect the vulnerable.
That echoed the findings of the government’s spending watchdog which concluded in a 2021 report that the government was not prepared for a crisis like the pandemic, had failed to learn from simulation exercises and was distracted by Britain’s departure from the European Union.
“We know that for lives to be saved in the future, lessons must be learnt from the mistakes of the past,” said Brenda Doherty on behalf of the campaign group, COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK. “Sadly, nobody knows the true cost of the government’s failure to prepare as we do.”
The inquiry’s first module has only examined Britain’s preparedness. Later reports will provide assessments of the more politically charged issues of governance and decision-making during the pandemic against a backdrop of wide criticism of government incompetence.
Johnson himself was forced from office in July 2022, with revelations of parties during COVID lockdowns among the many scandals that ended his premiership. A parliamentary committee later concluded he had misled lawmakers over the parties.
His later successor as prime minister and the finance minister during the pandemic Rishi Sunak was also fined for breaking lockdown rules.
Get the latest news updates and stay informed with FELA NEWS!
