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A damning government investigation regarding the UK's handling to the pandemic crisis determined which the reaction were "too little, too late," declaring that enacting a lockdown just one week sooner might have spared over twenty thousand fatalities.

Main Conclusions of the Investigation

Outlined in over seven hundred and fifty sections across two reports, the results depict an unmistakable picture of procrastination, lack of action as well as a seeming inability to understand from experience.

The description regarding the beginning of the coronavirus in the first months of 2020 is notably brutal, labeling the month of February as "a month of inaction."

Official Errors Noted

• The report questions why the UK leader failed to chair a single session of the Cobra crisis committee that month.
• Action to the virus effectively stopped during the school break.
• In the second week in March, the circumstances had become "almost disastrous," with inadequate plan, a lack of testing and thus little understanding regarding the extent to which the coronavirus was spreading.

Possible Outcome

Even though admitting the fact that the choice to implement confinement was unprecedented and exceptionally hard, taking other action to curb the transmission of Covid earlier could have meant a lockdown may not have been necessary, or at least proved less lengthy.

By the time confinement was necessary, the investigation stated, had it been imposed on March 16, estimates indicated that could have lowered the total of lives lost in England in the first wave of Covid by almost half, representing 23,000 fatalities avoided.

The inability to appreciate the magnitude of the risk, or the urgency for action it required, meant the fact that when the chance of enforced restrictions was initially contemplated it had become too delayed and restrictions were unavoidable.

Recurring Errors

The inquiry additionally pointed out how many of the same mistakes – reacting too slowly as well as minimizing the pace and impact of the pandemic's progression – occurred again later in 2020, as restrictions were lifted and subsequently late reintroduced because of infectious new strains.

It labels this "inexcusable," noting that the government were unable to absorb experience over successive outbreaks.

Total Impact

Britain experienced one of the deadliest pandemic outbreaks across Europe, with approximately 240,000 virus-related lives lost.

The inquiry constitutes another from the national review regarding every element of the response as well as management of the pandemic, which started previously and is due to run into 2027.