UK Covid-19 Inquiry

rdf:langString UK Covid-19 Inquiry

rdf:langString The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is an independent public inquiry into the British government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Public hearings are expected to begin in 2023. The British prime minister Boris Johnson announced the inquiry on 12 May 2021, to start in Spring 2022. He said the date was chosen because of a possible winter surge in infections, but that preparatory work on the terms of reference would start earlier, as would choosing a chair. In December 2021, Heather Hallett, Baroness Hallett was announced as the chair of the inquiry. The draft terms of the inquiry include the UK's preparedness for the pandemic, the use of lockdowns and other non-pharmaceutical interventions, pandemic management in hospitals and care homes, equipment procurement, and the financial support made available. It will cover the period up to and including the Inquiry being established on 28 June 2022, and England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. There had been prior proposals to launch a public inquiry from senior doctors, The BMJ, government scientific advisers, and ethnic minority group leaders. These proposals included looking into lockdown tactics, the "test, track and trace" service, and deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.