A damning official report has concluded that the UK's Covid lockdowns brutally halted childhood, sacrificing the education and wellbeing of the young to protect the adult population.
A Profound Consequence for a Generation
In her highly critical 760-page report, Baroness Hallett, chairman of the Covid-19 Inquiry, stated that the decision to close schools and nurseries in early 2020 were steps taken specifically to protect adults. She declared these actions "brought ordinary childhood to a halt."
The inquiry found that the "vast majority" of children were immune to the deadly virus, yet their lives were blighted. "For most children, the closure of schools, the inability to see friends and the requirement to stay at home, were of profound consequence," Lady Hallett added.
Systemic Failures and Lost Opportunities
The landmark report delivered a series of devastating conclusions about the UK's pandemic response. It found that tens of thousands of Covid deaths could have been prevented if the first lockdown had been imposed just seven days earlier.
Furthermore, the nationwide lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 might have been avoided altogether if not for a cascade of failures. Scientists, civil servants, ministers, and devolved governments all failed to react fast enough to the looming threat. The report described February 2020 as a "lost month" for preparations.
Lady Hallett, a former Appeal Court judge, was scathing in her assessment of the government's leadership, stating that ministers did "too little, too late" and that then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson should have recognised the emergency sooner.
The Lasting Scars of Lockdown
The consequences of these decisions are still being felt today. Teachers and parents are now struggling with children who are slow to pass key developmental milestones due to the impacts of the unprecedented 2020 shutdown.
According to the inquiry, the decision to close schools served to reduce Covid cases by as little as 10%, a figure noted by the government's chief scientific adviser, Professor Patrick Vallance.
Professor Sally Holland, former Children's Commissioner for Wales, warned that "if the opportunity to develop early skills is lost, it may be difficult to recover." The report itself concluded that no government in the UK was adequately prepared for the sudden task of educating children at home or for the complex risks that school closures presented.
The inquiry chairman stated that this "drastic interference" put children at risk of harm and that while lockdowns saved lives, they also left lasting scars, delayed other health treatments, and exacerbated societal inequalities.
