United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Government slammed for pandemic management missteps
The UK government made a succession of mistakes in its handling of the Covid pandemic, according to a parliamentary report.
It delayed implementing a lockdown and adopted a ‘fatalistic approach’ in how to slow the spread of the virus, MPs say in the report.
They were critical of the government’s early response to accept a ‘herd immunity’ policy before that idea was scrapped.
It made another ‘serious error’ by stopping community testing in March 2020, while the test-and-trace system was ‘often chaotic.’
It led to many unnecessary deaths it said.
"You had the brilliance of the vaccine roll-out, scientifically and administratively. But then you had real failures such as the lack of testing, the lack of data," said Greg Clark, Chair of the Science and Technology Committee.
He said the management ‘seemed to stumble from crisis to crisis,’ and failed to predict obvious problems ahead such as a rush for testing kits in September 2020 when children returned to schools.
MPs were also critical of the COBRA crisis management committee of top government officials and experts.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel