Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry branded 'shambolic' as first hearing gets underway

Lord Brailsford to set out what will happen over the coming weeks and months of the inquiry

The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry gets underway today. Image: Danny Lawson/Press Association.

The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry has been branded “shambolic”, as the first preliminary hearing of the inquiry gets underway today.

The inquiry, which will look into the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in Scotland and how the Scottish Government responded, officially starts from 10am.

Almost 200 people are expected to attend this hearing, which will be chaired by Lord Brailsford and will take place at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

Lawyer Aamer Anwar. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

However, lawyer Aamer Anwar, who is representing the Covid-19 Bereaved Families, has already slated the progress the inquiry has made so far, particularly as the inquiry’s previous chair was forced to step down.

He said: “On Monday it is anticipated that unless the Covid bereaved hear of real change, they will be damning in their criticism of the Scottish inquiry.

“In the last year this inquiry has spent nearly £8 million, so the very least the families were entitled to expect was a gold plated and fearless inquiry, no different to the UK inquiry.

“Sadly their experience has been the exact opposite, one of a shambolic, embarrassing first chair who resigned, followed by Lord Brailsford, that they would be front and centre of a robust and independent public inquiry. Shamefully that has not happened.”

So what sort of things can we expect to see being discussed over the next few weeks and months of this inquiry?

Topics to be addressed at the Covid inquiry

Care homes, particularly during the first wave of the pandemic when patients were discharged to hospitals into care homes while being infected with Covid-19, will form a major part of this inquiry.

This decision led to the deaths of numerous care home residents, and who is responsible for this will be discussed by the inquiry in due course.

A generation of children and young people missed out on a normal education because of lockdowns and remote learning, so education will also be a key element in this inquiry.

Everyone in Scotland had some of their civil liberties restricted during the lockdowns through social distancing and mask wearing. The inquiry will look into how thoroughly these restrictions saved people’s lives.

At points in April 2020, there were less than a day’s worth of PPE supplies held according to Audit Scotland and the watchdog said the Government should have been better prepared in this area. This is also something the inquiry will discuss.

Border control will be scrutinised as well, including the decision to close the Scottish border with England, hotel quarantine measures for overseas travellers, and comparisons to other island nations such as New Zealand.

The Scottish Government will also be assessed on its preparedness for a global pandemic, and for its communications strategy. Ultimately, the inquiry will be looking at the individuals who died from the virus and asking if this number could have been lower.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “We are co-operating fully with the Scottish and UK Covid public inquiries, and where requested have provided material held. We will continue to do so wherever possible, to provide the inquiry with any documentation or communications.”