'Too little, too late': UK Covid inquiry slams government for delay in COVID lockdown leading to 23,000 deaths

The UK government's handling of COVID-19 pandemic was a case of "too little, too late". It led to thousands more deaths in the first wave due to delay in decision making and a failure to grasp the scale of the crisis, according to an official inquiry concluded in London on government decision-making on Thursday. The first wave Covid lockdown in 2020 led to approximately 23,000 excess deaths.

The report entitled 'Core UK decision-making and political governance' said the lockdown may have been avoided if voluntary steps such like social distancing and isolating those with symptoms had been implemented earlier than 16 March 2020.

The report criticised four devolved governments of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and described a "chaotic culture" in Downing Street.

"All four governments failed to appreciate the scale of the threat or the urgency of response it demanded in the early part of 2020," read the report.

According to official records UK reported more than 235,000 deaths due to COVID-19 up to the end of 2023, but this number could have been lower had the four nations not "failed to appreciate the scale of the threat or the urgency of response it demanded".

"When they did realise the scale of the threat, politicians and administrators in the UK government and the devolved administrations were presented with unenviable choices as to how to respond," read the report led by Baroness Heather Hallett.

"Whatever decision they took, there was often no right answer or good outcome Nonetheless, I can summarise my findings of the response as 'too little, too late'", Hallett added.

Government scientists too underestimated the pace at which the virus was spreading and in the early days said not to introduce restrictions until the virus was nearer its peak to help build up herd immunity.

The close to 800 pages report is the second of 10 planned by the inquiry to look into UK's response to the coronavirus pandemic.