Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett said the UK was “ill-prepared for dealing with a catastrophic emergency, let alone the coronavirus pandemic”.
“Never again can a disease be allowed to lead to so many deaths and so much suffering,” she added.
The 217-page report argues the UK planned for the wrong pandemic – a mild one where spread of a new virus was inevitable – and this led to the “untested” policy of lockdown.
It says that the UK approach was undermined by “groupthink” by scientists, who were not sufficiently challenged by government ministers.
It makes a series of recommendations for reforming the way the government approaches emergency planning.
Baroness Hallett said she wants to see these acted on quickly, with many in place within six months or a year.
Source Agencies
