Lessons must be learned from ministers’ pandemic failures
IT is clear that mistakes were made during the coronavirus crisis and that, as the inquiries delve ever deeper into the decisions taken, more serious shortcomings may well emerge.
The latest, yesterday, came in a legal ruling from the High Court following claims against the Government brought by two women – one from Sidmouth.
Both Devon’s Cathy Gardner and Hampshire’s Fay Harris lost their fathers to Covid. Both elderly men were care home residents at the start of the pandemic, when patients were being rapidly discharged from hospital into care homes.
Many were suffering from coronavirus at the time – some asymptomatically. As a result the virus spread like wildlife around many homes, leading to illness and death.
The ruling yesterday, by Lord Justice Bean and Mr Justice Garnham, concluded that policies contained in Government documents released in March and early April 2020 were unlawful because they failed to take into account the risk to elderly and vulnerable residents from the nonsymptomatic transmission of the virus.
The relatives of those elderly people who died as a result are, understandably and justifiably, angry and upset. This legal ruling vindicates their complaint that, far from throwing a protective ring around the elderly, their welfare was neglected.
The consequences of the ruling have yet to be fully assessed. There may also be an appeal from the Government. Equally, bolstered by such a judgment, compensation claims may be filed.
It seems clear that under the law, as ably interpreted by the High Court judges, the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, and Public Health England made mistakes. There will, undoubtedly, be lessons to learn.
But without wishing to downplay in any way the hurt felt by those who lost loved ones in these circumstances, it is worth bearing in mind the context in which all these decisions were taken.
The world was largely unprepared for the scale of the crisis unleashed by coronavirus. There was no handy manual for ministers to turn to and scientists, in the early days at least, provided sometimes contrary advice to the Government.
Don’t forget, in the very early days of the pandemic, one suggestion was we go for “herd immunity”, effectively letting the virus run riot but, in the long run, providing the population with protection.
Fortunately, that idea was quickly dropped, but it shows the relative lack of knowledge about how to handle this crisis in the early days.
There is no question more should have been done, difficult questions should have been asked and a more nuanced approach taken to protecting people from the virus. But it remains the fact that coronavirus is what killed and made sick those who contracted the disease, not Government policy.
Where mistakes were made, it is right and proper they are identified and the culprits called out. But never forget what an unprecedented challenge this virus presented or how unprepared we were to tackle it.