How Does The Covid Inquiry Work?

The Covid enquiry is taking grounds from politicians, civilian servants and wellness experts astir nan roll-out of vaccines and anti-viral curen crossed nan UK.

In July 2024, nan inquiry's first study said nan UK's flawed pandemic preparations had led to much deaths and greater economical harm than location should person been.

Just nether 227,000 group died successful nan UK from Covid betwixt March 2020 and May 2023, erstwhile nan World Health Organization said nan "global wellness emergency" was over.

The Covid enquiry was launched by erstwhile Prime Minister Boris Johnson successful June 2022, much than a twelvemonth aft he said nan government's actions would beryllium put "under nan microscope".

The announcement came aft nan Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice run said it was considering launching a judicial reappraisal complete authorities "time-wasting".

Johnson said nan enquiry would screen decision-making during nan pandemic by nan UK government, arsenic good arsenic nan administrations successful Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The first nationalist hearings took spot successful London successful June 2023. Subsequent hearings person been held successful Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

Public inquiries are established and funded by nan authorities and are led by an independent chair. They tin compel witnesses to springiness evidence.

No-one is recovered blameworthy aliases innocent, but nan enquiry publishes conclusions and recommendations, which nan authorities is not obliged to accept.

The enquiry is chaired by erstwhile judge and crossbench adjacent Baroness Hallett, who antecedently led the inquests into nan 7 July London bombings.

She said that nonaccomplishment and suffering would beryllium astatine nan bosom of nan inquiry, adding it would beryllium "firmly independent".

Baroness Hallett said nan enquiry would analyse really decisions connected limiting nan dispersed of Covid were made and communicated; nan usage of lockdowns and look coverings; and nan effect connected children, wellness and attraction assemblage workers, and nan clinically vulnerable.

She will besides see nan effect connected bereaved families, and really nan findings could beryllium applied to different nationalist emergencies.

Several reports are expected, covering everything from governmental decision-making to vaccines.

Publishing nan first of these successful July 2024, Baroness Hallett said the UK was "ill-prepared for dealing pinch a catastrophic emergency, fto unsocial nan coronavirus pandemic".

"Never again tin a illness beryllium allowed to lead to truthful galore deaths and truthful overmuch suffering," she added.

The 217-page report, external based on the UK planned for nan incorrect pandemic - a mild 1 wherever dispersed of a caller microorganism was inevitable - and this led to nan "untested" argumentation of lockdown.

It said nan UK authorities and devolved nations "failed their citizens", and that ministers did not sufficiently situation technological experts.

It made a bid of recommendations for reforming nan measurement nan authorities approaches emergency readying crossed nan 4 nations of nan UK.

Baroness Hallett said she wanted these to beryllium acted connected quickly, pinch changes successful spot wrong six months aliases a year.

The inquiry is divided into different parts., external

Work connected nan first module, resilience and preparedness, external, has finished, but nan enquiry is actively investigating respective different aspects of Covid:

There is nary circumstantial timescale for really agelong nan enquiry will last, but Baroness Hallett intends to clasp nan last nationalist hearings successful 2026.

Scotland is holding a abstracted inquiry into nan pandemic.

The enquiry has heard from hundreds of witnesses, including existent and erstwhile politicians, civilian servants, authorities advisers, nationalist wellness experts and representatives of bereaved families.

Many were highly captious of erstwhile Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was successful No 10 passim nan pandemic.

He began his two-day grounds convention successful December 2023 by apologising for nan "pain and nan nonaccomplishment and nan suffering" knowledgeable during nan pandemic.

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gave grounds astir his domiciled arsenic Chancellor during Covid.

He besides apologised to "all those who suffered... arsenic a consequence of nan actions that were taken", but denied his Eat Out to Help Out Scheme had accrued infections and deaths.

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock has fixed grounds respective times.

He told nan enquiry that the UK's pandemic strategy had been wholly wrong, and later denied that he lied to colleagues, while admitting nan UK should person locked down overmuch sooner.

Hancock besides criticised nan "toxic culture" successful government, for which he blamed Johnson's erstwhile advisor Dominic Cummings.

In his evidence, Mr Cummings described a "dysfunctional" government and was very captious of Johnson's approach. The proceeding besides discussed scathing matter messages he sent, many of which contained violative descriptions of ministers and officials.

Mr Cummings said he regretted nan handling of his infamous travel to Barnard Castle during nan first lockdown, but denied that he had damaged nationalist spot successful nan government.