A landmark £200m lawsuit against the government for errors in handling the Covid pandemic is set to be launched by families that lost loved ones to the disease, The Mirror reports. A first group of 20 families have begun proceedings.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay and the Health Security Agency were alerted of the lawsuit by law firm Leigh Day. Company partner Emma Jones said: “People who lost loved ones feel passionately that the Government must be held accountable for the fatal decisions made early in the pandemic. The families we represent want justice for the mums and dads they lost without even being able to say goodbye.”
One person involved in the lawsuit is John Orford, whose father Ronald passed away aged 94 after contracting Covid at his care home in St Helens, Merseyside. John, 64, continues to suffer from the bereavement having recently been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress.
He said: “I blame the Government for not locking down sooner. Boris Johnson – who I call a buffoon – should have protected older people but he let it all carry on instead. When I see ambulances on the telly it brings it back to me. I suddenly get upset.”
Another case is Kim Nottage, who lost mum Maureen, 86, when she caught Covid in hospital before being discharged to a care home in Poplar, East London. Kim, 59, was contacted to say her mother had a cough, but the home gave "little information".
She said: “My sister called the home to ask if it was Covid and suggested mum should be readmitted to hospital. “But the home weren’t doing much about it and nobody was wearing PPE.
“Mum never wanted to be alone so the fact that she lay there and passed away on her own makes me so angry and really upset. I don’t think the Government dealt with things very well.”
Sean Foote, 50, lost his mother Gloria Lewis, 83, after she caught Covid in a care home in Manchester in April 2020. Sean was unable to attend her funeral because of Covid rules and had to watch an online stream.
He said: “I’m just trying to find answers. I think my mum deserves answers. Someone in the home had Covid and mum caught it soon after. She didn’t have the strength to fight it off.
“It’s not about money or compensation, it’s about accountability and to make sure things like this never happen again. I firmly believe that Mum was healthy enough to be alive today. She should have been safe in a care home.”
The claim will be filed after the next stage of the Covid-19 inquiry next year, which will allow the families to hear evidence into the handling of the pandemic. The Government could face a £200million payout to thousands of families over alleged pandemic mistakes.
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