Investigations suggest that the early introduction of the lockdown in Britain could have significantly reduced the number of victims of the first wave of COVID-19. Criticism is also aimed at the decision-making culture of the government.
The British government could have averted 23,000 deaths from the disease caused by the disease COVID-19 if it had introduced an earlier lockdown during the first wave of the pandemic. This follows from the report of the investigative commission, which was published on Thursday. TASR informs about it according to the AFP agency.
- The report states that an earlier lockdown could have saved thousands of lives.
- The British government imposed a lockdown too late during the pandemic.
- The chairwoman of the commission emphasized the insufficient reaction of the authorities to the pandemic.
- Chaos and inconsistency affected the decision-making of the prime minister and his cabinet.
- The coronavirus pandemic has caused a significant loss of life in Britain.
The commission of inquiry, headed by former judge and member of the House of Lords Heather Hallett, concluded that the British government did not react quickly enough at the beginning of the pandemic. She ordered the first lockdown on March 23, 2020, according to the commission, she should have done it a week earlier.
An earlier lockdown could have saved lives
Hallett said the UK government’s measures, as well as regulations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, were insufficient and came too late. “If the lockdown had been introduced a week earlier than 23 March, the evidence suggests that the number of deaths in England alone would have been reduced by 48 per cent in the first wave by 1 July 2020. That’s around 23,000 fewer deaths,” the commission chair said. In case of earlier introduction, the lockdown would also last shorter.
Decision-making was accompanied by chaos
In addition, the decision-making on new measures was accompanied by chaos. The then prime minister, Boris Johnson, established a “toxic” culture and regularly changed his views, while senior cabinet members and scientists failed to act quickly enough, according to the Downing Street commission. “The opinions expressed the loudest prevailed and the opinions of other colleagues, especially women, were often ignored, which had a negative impact on the quality of decision-making,” stated Hallettová.
AP reminds that the coronavirus pandemic hit Britain hard and about 230,000 people died as a result. Johnson is out of office in 2022. Among other things, he was the target of widespread criticism after it emerged that he hosted multiple parties at 10 Downing Street during the height of the pandemic and strict lockdown.
