Covid Inquiry: Welsh Government's pandemic response under fire
Inquiry told failures in testing and tracing cost lives and left Wales unprepared
THE UK Covid Inquiry has begun its latest public hearings with stark criticism of the UK and devolved governments' handling of testing, tracing and isolation strategies during the coronavirus pandemic. On the opening day of Module 7, which focuses on 'Test, Trace and Isolate' (TTI) systems, serious concerns were raised about the Welsh Government's effectiveness, coordination, and long-term preparedness.
Covid pandemic: Council staff in Tenby in 2020 (Image: File)
Sophie Cartwright KC, lead counsel to the Inquiry, laid out a damning picture of systemic disarray across the four nations, including Wales. She highlighted that despite early warnings and international advice, the Welsh Government did not fully roll out its Test, Trace, Protect strategy until mid-May 2020, by which time the virus had already swept through communities.
The Inquiry heard that on 12 March 2020, all four UK nations, including Wales, stopped community testing and contact tracing—despite the World Health Organization's call to 'test, test, test.' Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, told a COBR meeting that day that mass testing and tracing would no longer be pursued, even as infections surged.
The result was, as Cartwright put it, a 'disastrous blind spot' in surveillance and control. While countries like South Korea and Japan avoided national lockdowns through robust test-and-isolate systems, the UK suffered repeated waves. Professor Anthony Costello estimated that over 180,000 deaths might have been prevented had the UK adopted similar strategies.
Emotional testimony: Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees
Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, who gave emotional evidence, represents Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru. She spoke on behalf of families in Wales who lost loved ones due to what they describe as 'avoidable government failings.' Her testimony underscored the human impact of delays in testing, isolation support and communication failures.
Lack of preparedness and ignored lessons
Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, representing Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, criticised the Welsh Government for failing to act on pandemic preparedness plans. She highlighted that Exercise Shipshape, a 2003 SARS simulation involving Wales, had already identified the importance of being able to test, trace and isolate effectively. Yet, none of those lessons were implemented. Marsh-Rees said there was a clear failure to build resilient infrastructure and no meaningful contingency planning, despite numerous simulations and warnings.
Testing failures and wave two disaster
Marsh-Rees gave a stark account of the absence of routine and repeat testing during the second wave of Covid-19 in Wales. She revealed that repeat testing of patients wasn't introduced until January 2021, and even then only every five days—compared to every three in England. Worse, healthcare workers were not regularly tested until February or March 2021, despite lateral flow tests being available from November 2020. She stated bluntly that this oversight contributed to Wales having the highest rate of hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections in the UK, calling it one of the group's most heartbreaking concerns.
A sense the Welsh Government didn't want to know
In her closing remarks, Marsh-Rees accused the Welsh Government of appearing as though it did not want to know if people were testing positive, implying that awareness would have triggered obligations to act. She pointed out that 178 people had contracted Covid in Welsh hospitals just last week, five years into the pandemic. 'Testing has been forgotten—or proactively not undertaken,' she said. 'It's like a concerted effort not to find out.' Her testimony called for an internationally informed overhaul of public health strategy and an end to political point scoring in future pandemic response.
Missed opportunities in Wales
Wales launched its Test, Trace, Protect plan on 13 May 2020. Then Health Minister Vaughan Gething promised increased capacity and localised response. But the Inquiry was told that testing capacity remained limited, with many key functions outsourced to UK-wide services like Lighthouse Labs and delivery partners like Amazon, rather than utilising existing NHS and university laboratories in Wales.
A submission from the Royal College of Pathologists noted that many NHS and academic labs in the UK were sidelined, despite offering higher quality and faster results than the private facilities that were favoured instead. The Microbiology Society echoed these concerns, saying the government did not properly engage with universities and local experts in Wales and elsewhere.
The Inquiry heard that by mid-2020, Wales had access to six drive-through test centres, eight mobile units and a handful of community testing sites—but by then the damage had already been done.
Support for isolating 'too little, too late'
The Welsh Government's Self-Isolation Support Scheme, launched in November 2020, was described as well-intentioned but too slow in implementation. Earlier schemes in Northern Ireland and England had started months prior.
Evidence submitted highlighted how economic necessity led many to avoid testing to avoid losing income. 'I remember people saying, 'I can't test because if I test and I'm positive, I can't work,'' one person told the Inquiry.
Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, representing Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, will give impact evidence later this week, speaking on behalf of families in Wales who lost loved ones due to what they describe as 'avoidable government failings.'
Infrastructure dismantled
Lord Bethell, who had responsibility for TTI at UK level, warned that the UK is now less prepared than ever for a future pandemic, with testing labs dismantled, data systems shut down, and public health infrastructure 'weaker than ever.'
The Inquiry continues this week with further evidence from bereaved families, scientists, and public health experts from across the UK.
Lady Hallett opened the TTI hearings on Monday (Pic: Covid Inquiry)
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