The Covid inquiry’s second phase will focus on decisions made by Boris Johnson, his government, and his team of scientists in the early days of the pandemic. Total scrutiny will concentrate on key decisions made to control the spread of the virus, including lockdowns, border controls, and face masks. The spotlight will remain on these decisions until Christmas. It is imperative to determine the stake for the ex-Prime Minister and his former team during this process.
The situation on 7 March 2020 was unusual, with England beating Wales in a Six Nations rugby match with 82,000 people in attendance. Mr. Johnson shook hands with England captain Owen Farrell during the match. On the same day, the Sun had one topic on its front page: “Official: It’s an outbreak,” while the Daily Mail said, “millions told: work at home to fight virus.” In Italy, a lockdown was implemented across the north of the country to avoid hospitals being overwhelmed by Covid cases. Meanwhile, in the UK, where only two deaths had been confirmed, the public was encouraged to wash hands frequently and carry on with their lives.
Geoff Bodman, a 59-year-old citizen, was present at both Twickenham and the Cheltenham Festival that spring when he was infected with Covid. Later, he was put on a ventilator at a Cardiff hospital and spent two months in intensive care, suffering a stroke during the period. The government should have taken more decisive action and put a stop to activities like Cheltenham Festival, according to him, who believes that many lives could have been saved if this had been done.
The second part of the Covid inquiry examines decisions made after the advent of Covid, scrutinizing the period until 23 March 2020, when the UK went into a full lockdown, with “particular scrutiny” on whether different decisions could have saved lives. The inquiry will examine whether the government’s policy of “following the science” was a fair reflection of what precisely occurred and whether mandatory lockdowns, face masks, and border restrictions were effective in controlling the pandemic’s transmission. The impact on the economy, education, and mental health must be appropriately considered
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