The UK Covid-19 Inquiry opened its final module this week, focusing on the pandemic's impact on society. Module 10 will examine how lockdowns affected vulnerable groups, key workers, and mental health over three weeks of hearings.
The module will specifically investigate the effects on domestic abuse victims, the homeless, and bereaved families unable to attend funerals. It will also examine the closures of hospitality, retail, museums and theatres, with particular emphasis on the most vulnerable populations.
For bereaved families, the opening represents a "huge moment" after years of campaigning. A spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK said: «This is a huge moment for bereaved families. After years of fighting for this Inquiry, the final public hearings are now beginning. Module 10 matters because it centres the human impact. [...] It is where the Inquiry will hear, directly, about the trauma of losing someone in the pandemic, how families were treated, what support was missing, and the reality that the harm was not felt equally.»
A lawyer representing bereaved families said the module «will vindicate what our clients have consistently said: that the grief they suffered was different to others in mourning».
Prolonged grief and PTSD
Nicola Brook, a solicitor representing over 7,000 bereaved families, explained the module «will show that many are suffering prolonged grief disorder and PTSD caused by the horrific circumstances in which they lost their loved ones and by the restrictions that prevented them being with their loved ones as they passed [...]».
Sarah Hughes, chief executive of Mind charity, described how the pandemic «created a national mental health emergency in multiple, profound ways». She called the inquiry a «critical opportunity to learn lasting lessons and to build a mental health system that protects everyone, at all times».
The inquiry has already sat for 250 days, published over 600,000 documents, and called more than 600 witnesses across four UK cities. Five reports covering healthcare systems, vaccines, procurement, care sector, and testing systems are scheduled for publication this year.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
