COVID-19 Lockdowns Caused ‘Profound Loneliness and Pain,’ Inquiry Hears

COVID-19 messaging is seen on the advertising hoarding at Piccadilly Circus during the UK's third national lockdown, in London, on Feb. 3, 2021. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Government guidance on self-isolation and social distancing during the 2020 and 2021 national lockdowns and in periods of minimised restrictions caused “profound loneliness, pain, and anguish” for British families, a government lawyer has told the COVID-19 inquiry.

Fiona Scolding, KC, representing the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), made the statement before the inquiry on Wednesday as it entered the second day of hearings (pdf).

The UK COVID-19 Inquiry is examining the UK’s response to the pandemic. It will hear from government officials, scientists, health organisations, and representatives of victims and their families.

Statements to be heard by the inquiry include those on UK’s resilience and preparedness, the core decision-making by the government, the impact of the pandemic on health care systems, and vaccines and therapeutics.

Scolding’s statement comes as part of the first module, which she led by expressing “heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to all the families who have lost loved ones to this pandemic, had their lives disrupted, and who have suffered the after-effects on both their mental and physical health.”

“In particular, people were unable to visit and comfort loved ones who were unwell or dying, and were unable to undertake the important rituals surrounding death which are so vital for catharsis and expressing a shared grief. Not being able to attend and say goodbye at a family funeral was a nightmare for so many of us. The stoicism and forbearance shown and the sacrifices made by so many will never be forgotten,” she said.

Scolding argued that while the government’s decisions were “often extremely finely balanced,” it would not suggest that it made all the right decisions or that it would make the same decisions today, with “the benefit of hindsight.”

She asked inquiry Chair Lady Heather Hallett to not “impose what we shall call a retroscope upon decision-making.”

The DHSC has referred to the documents and plans on COVID-19 as “battleplans” or “operations” because it viewed the pandemic period as “akin to a war” which required mobilisation in every UK organisation, Scolding said.

‘Little Thought’

The government gave “little thought” pre-pandemic to the complexity and effectiveness of a national lockdown as a tool to tackle a “a runaway virus,” the inquiry heard during the first day.

The probe’s lead counsel Hugo Keith, KC also said that the government failed to examine the effect of the pandemic on economy and education.

“My lady, no amount of foresight or planning can guarantee that a country will not make mistakes when a disease strikes, but that does not mean that we should not strive to be as ready as we sensibly can be. No country can be perfectly prepared, but it can certainly be under-prepared,” Keith said.

The government has estimated a total of 227,321 people had COVID-19 listed as a cause of death.

The COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK expressed hope that “lessons could be learned” from members’ losses and future mistakes could be avoided.

The group members have condemned Prime Minister Boris Johnson for breaking the government guidance and failing British families, “so he could have a party and a laugh.”

Johnson has been found to have deliberately misled Parliament over parties held in Downing Street during COVID-19 lockdowns. The former prime minister, who recently resigned as an MP, was investigated by the House of Commons Privileges Committee.

“If Mr. Johnson were still a member he should be suspended from the service of the House for 90 days for repeated contempt and for seeking to undermine the parliamentary process,” the committee said in its final report, published on Thursday.

The COVID-19 inquiry is set to hear statements from Sir Chris Whitty, who served as chief medical officer under Johnson, former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.