-
UK lawmakers: Delaying coronavirus lockdown a serious error
The Trust reported according to Reuters , UK lawmakers said in a report published on Tuesday, the delay to England's first coronavirus lockdown was a serious error based on groupthink that went unchallenged. they added, failures in testing positive cases and tracing their contacts exacerbated the crisis.
Parliament's health and science committees have jointly published a 150-page report on lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic after hours of testimony from more than 50 witnesses, include government policy, health and science advisers.
Deficiencies in the Covid-19 response in Britain have been laid out in a series of Reuters news agency's special reports, including delays in the decision to lockdown, shortcomings in the test and trace system, and errors that led to the spread of the pandemic in care homes.
The lawmaker report highlighted concerns about all three, adding there was a "policy approach of fatalism" that sought to manage but not suppress COVID-19 infections in the early stages of the pandemic, which it described as a "serious error".
Read more: Boris Johnson expected to back energy-intensive industries as gas prices soar
Lawmakers Jeremy Hunt and Greg Clark, who led the committees behind the report, said: "Our test and trace programme took too long to become effective. The Government took seriously scientific advice but there should have been more challenge from all to the early UK consensus that delayed a more comprehensive lockdown."
Britain has reported 137,763 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test result, the eighth highest coronavirus death toll in the world.
The report said the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines was well planned and executed, but warned that overall, lessons would need to be learned to avoid repeating mistakes, and recommended more focus on pandemic contingency planning.
Read more: Preliminary turnout in Iraqi elections count lowest rate of participation
The report said: "The UK's response, with the notable exception of vaccine development and deployment, has for the most part been too reactive as opposed to anticipatory."
Source: trust
