Damning indictment of Boris Johnson’s government and its handling of Covid crisis
The importance of learning lessons from the Covid crisis cannot be underestimated. Pandemic preparation may have been an afterthought over six years ago but we need resilience in all aspects of civic life. Not least when it comes to decision-making at the very top. However, the multitude of mistakes that were made need to be acknowledged in order to learn lessons.
As the UK Covid-19 Inquiry published its findings into decisions made by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his senior advisers, it wasn’t just a reminder of the failings at the heart of government but also the cost of mismanaging a public health crisis.
The inquiry found that a failure to take Covid-19 seriously cost 23,000 lives in the first wave of the pandemic. That is a damning finding.
What stands out is the lack of coordination and clear strategy, just when the country was crying out for decisive leadership. Instead Johnson presided over a “toxic” culture.
Frontline workers went to work not only ill-equipped, in the case of the NHS, but also confused as to how they were to protect themselves and those that they came into contact with. There was widespread confusion over school closures as a result of the indecision in government. And of course the unforgivable decision to discharge patients back into care homes without testing them first.
Children’s education and development has been set back several years and the economy left in ruins. All as a consequence of the poor decision making at the very top.
On top of it all was the blatant arrogance of everyone from Johnson downwards who thought that the rules did not apply to them, or if they did, that they were to interpret them as they wished. All the while, the public adhered to restrictions in the most difficult of circumstances.