"Lord Gove told the BBC's Today programme some "attitudes" in Downing Street had been "far from ideal" but added that in a crisis "the business of government can't be carried out in the manner of a Jane Austen novel". He also said an earlier lockdown would have been "wiser" but questioned the report's assertion that it would have meant fewer deaths."
"The 800-page inquiry report said implementing a Covid lockdown a week earlier could have saved 23,000 lives in the first wave in England - although it does not suggest that the overall death toll would have been reduced. It said lockdown could have been avoided if the government had introduced restrictions such as social distancing and isolating people with symptoms earlier. The report described February 2020 as a "lost month" and said the government's lack of urgency was "inexcusable"."
An apology was issued on behalf of the government and Conservative Party for mistakes made during the coronavirus pandemic. Downing Street culture during Covid was described as "toxic and chaotic" under Boris Johnson's leadership. Some attitudes in No 10 were judged far from ideal, while crisis decision-making was defended as requiring practical, not literary, approaches. Analysis estimated that implementing a Covid lockdown one week earlier in England's first wave could have saved 23,000 lives, though it did not assert a lower overall death toll. February 2020 was characterized as a "lost month" and the government's lack of urgency was called "inexcusable." Measures to improve preparedness across the NHS and government were being pursued in response.
Read at www.bbc.com
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