The voices of some of those who suffered most in the pandemic will be heard as the UK Covid-19 Inquiry officially begins its first day of evidence. Two years after then-prime minister Boris Johnson announced a public inquiry would be set up, chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett will formally open the first substantive hearing on Tuesday.
Following her statement, a video featuring people from across the UK sharing their experiences of loss will be played to those gathered at the hearing centre in west London. A statement from the inquiry team ahead of the opening warned the film of
"some of those who suffered most during the pandemic" may be "difficult to watch".
The first module of the inquiry is expected to last around six weeks, during which there will be a focus on whether the pandemic was properly planned for and "whether the UK was adequately ready for that eventuality". Elkan Abrahamson, a solicitor representing the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice (CBFFJ) UK group, which has almost 7,000 members, said Tuesday "marks the end of a two-year battle by the bereaved to get a statutory public inquiry".
