COVID inquiry day one: The essential moments you may have missed

The first substantive hearing of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry opened on Tuesday.

Jimmy Nsubuga
Updated ·4 min read
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People hold pictures of loved ones lost during the pandemic outside Dorland House in London where the inquiry is hearing evidence for its first investigation (Module 1) examining if the pandemic was properly planned for and
Bereaved families hold pictures of loved ones lost during the pandemic outside the COVID inquiry. (Getty)

The first substantive hearing of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry opened on Tuesday, with the chairwoman promising a "thorough investigation the people of the United Kingdom deserve".

Baroness Heather Hallett said she aimed to deliver "timely recommendations that may save lives" as she paid tribute to bereaved family members in her opening speech.

The first module of the inquiry is expected to last around six weeks, during which there will be a focus on whether the pandemic was properly planned for and “whether the UK was adequately ready for that eventuality”.

Lady Baroness Hallett said she intended to answer three key questions: was the UK properly prepared for the pandemic? Was the response appropriate? And can lessons be learned for the future?

The voices of some of those who suffered most in the pandemic are also set to be heard during the inquiry.

Here, Yahoo News UK takes a look at some of the essential moments you may have missed.

COVID inquiry 'will be the thorough investigation the UK deserves'

A person takes a photograph of the plaque on the National Covid Memorial Wall, dedicated to those who lost their lives to Covid-19, on the embankment on the south side of the River Thames in London on June 13, 2023. An inquiry probing the UK government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic kicked off Tuesday with the investigation mired in controversy even before the first witness is called. The inquiry chair, retired senior judge Heather Hallett, has called for ex-prime minister Boris Johnson's unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks to be handed over, prompting a legal challenge from the government of his successor Rishi Sunak. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)
A person takes a photograph of the plaque on the National COVID Memorial Wall. (Getty)

The UK COVID-19 Inquiry will be the thorough investigation into the pandemic that the nation deserves, chairwoman Lady Baroness Hallett has vowed.

She said she had set out an “ambitious” timetable for the inquiry, adding: “To conduct the kind of thorough investigation the people of the United Kingdom deserve takes time and a great deal of preparation.

“If I am to achieve my aim of making timely recommendations that may save lives and reduce suffering in the future, I had no choice.”

Focus on Brexit 'prevented the work needed to prepare for pandemic'

A government focus on Brexit “crowded out and prevented” the work that was needed to prepare for the next pandemic, the lead lawyer to the COVID-19 Inquiry has suggested.

Hugo Keith KC told the official inquiry that work around a possible no-deal exit from the European Union may have drained “the resources and capacity” that were needed for pandemic planning.

He told chair of the inquiry, Lady Baroness Hallett: “It is clear that such planning, from 2018 onwards, crowded out and prevented some or perhaps a majority of the improvements that central government itself understood were required to be made to resilience planning and preparedness.”

Bereaved families hold pictures of loved ones in vigil outside COVID inquiry

People hold pictures of loved ones lost during the pandemic outside Dorland House in London where the inquiry is hearing evidence for its first investigation (Module 1) examining if the pandemic was properly planned for and
People hold pictures of loved ones lost during the pandemic. (Getty)

Bereaved families held pictures of their loved ones lined up outside the inquiry building in west London, ahead of the first public hearing session on Tuesday.

Members of the COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice (CBFFJ) campaign group expressed frustration at feeling “excluded from sharing key evidence” with the inquiry.

The group has previously stated that it feels marginalised, criticising the decision to call “only one” of its members as a witness in the first module, having “rejected all of the 20 members” it had suggested could give evidence.

UK COVID Inquiry memorial tapestry given trigger warning

The UK COVID Inquiry unveiled the first four tapestry panels to commemorate the public's experiences and emotions during the pandemic.

It warned that the tapestry “contains upsetting material and may trigger some difficult feelings and emotions.”

'Upsetting' COVID inquiry memorial tapestry given trigger warning (The Telegraph, 3 mins)

Lockdown given ‘very little thought’ ahead of pandemic

A lockdown was given “very little thought” ahead of the pandemic and there was a failure to consider the “potentially massive impact” it might have, the UK COVID-19 Inquiry has heard.

There was also a lack of forethought around some of the major areas of life affected by the outbreak of a coronavirus pandemic, the inquiry’s lead counsel, Hugo Keith KC, said.

He told the first public hearing on Tuesday that, while it might seem “extraordinary” now given the experience the UK has had, there had been “very little debate pre-pandemic” around whether a lockdown might be necessary and how it could be avoided.