SESSION 2
How did the Government respond?
7pm - Wednesday 10 March (watch again below)
SESSION 2 AUDIO HERE
What strategies did the Government employ to bring the virus under control and were they effective? Did it pay due regard to scientific evidence and public health expertise? Was it influenced by 'lockdown sceptics'. Were there other strategies the Government could have adopted that would have had better outcomes?
‘At all stages, we have been guided by the science, and we will do the right thing at the right time’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 12 March 2020
‘What I can tell you is that we truly did everything we could, and continue to do everything that we can, to minimise loss of life and to minimise suffering in what has been a very, very difficult stage, and a very, very difficult crisis for our country, and we will continue to do that’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 26 January 2021
We will examine the Government's overall strategy for controlling the spread of infection, the timing and extent of ‘lockdowns’, their impact on case numbers, and the implications for death rates. We will make international comparisons and understand the underlying drivers for the decisions made.
THE PANEL
Michael Mansfield QC (chair), Professor Neena Modi, Dr. Tolullah Oni, Dr. Jacky Davis
Lorna Hackett Barrister (Counsel to the Inquiry)
WITNESSES
Professor Sir David King | Independent-SAGE https://youtu.be/ReR5LtgyPxk?t=620
Lobby Akinnola | Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice https://youtu.be/ReR5LtgyPxk?t=3209
Jan Shortt | General secretary, National Pensioners Convention https://youtu.be/ReR5LtgyPxk?t=4730
Dr. Helen Salisbury | NHS GP, columnist for BMJ, Oxford University teacher/trainer undergrad medical students and postgrad doctors https://youtu.be/ReR5LtgyPxk?t=5835