The launch of the second module today of the Covid-19 Inquiry will focus on the key decisions made by government in the early days of the pandemic.

The core UK decision making and political governance module focuses on the period until the first full lockdown in March 2020.

Evidence will be given this week by groups representing families who lost loved ones during the pandemic with Caroline Abrahams, chief executive of Age UK, among other participants.

Public evidence in the first module on preparedness for the pandemic ended on preparedness ended in July with a report on its conclusions due in 2024.

Rivka Gottlieb, who lost her dad Micheal to Covid-19, said: “Bereaved families like mine must be allowed to share their experiences to challenge the narratives and claims made by those who presided over the catastrophic mishandling of the pandemic. That is why we proposed a proportional number of witnesses who can shed light on the impact of decisions made by politicians far from the frontline. It is deeply concerning, for us and for everyone at risk in future pandemics, that only one bereaved witness has been called to give a statement on behalf of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, and not to give the Inquiry the vital evidence it needs to save lives. 

“Only bereaved families know the true cost of the mishandling of the pandemic. If the Inquiry intends to learn lessons and save lives, it needs to hear from those who know, better than anyone, exactly how decisions made by the government failed on the ground. If our experiences are learned from, we will be able to save lives in the future.”

There were 43,256 deaths involving Covid-19 in care homes in England between March 2020 and January 2022.

A government spokesperson said: “Throughout the pandemic the government acted to save lives and livelihoods, prevent the NHS being overwhelmed and deliver a world-leading vaccine rollout which protected millions of lives across the nation. 

“We have always said there are lessons to be learnt from the pandemic and we are committed to learning from the Covid-19 Inquiry’s findings which will play a key role in informing the government’s planning and preparations for the future. We will consider all recommendations made to the department in full.”