Britain’s Covid response was ‘too little, too late’ and cost thousands of lives, inquiry says

London
 — 

The United Kingdom did “too little, too late,” in its early response to the coronavirus pandemic, leading to thousands of more deaths, the head of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry said as its latest findings were released.

“The initial response to the pandemic was marked by a lack of information and a lack of urgency,” the inquiry’s report said, adding that “despite clear signs that the virus was spreading globally, all four nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) failed to take sufficiently timely and effective action.”

If the UK government had introduced restrictions earlier, when the number of Covid cases was lower, mandatory lockdown could…