News Beat
Brandon mum ‘disgusted’ at UK Covid inquiry findings
Susan Eldridge from Brandon in County Durham went through unimaginable grief when she lost her mum and brother within nine days of each other during the pandemic in early 2021.
Nearly five years on after their deaths, a report from the UK Covid Inquiry by Baroness Heather Hallett has concluded a failure to take Covid seriously cost 23,000 lives in the first wave of the pandemic.
The report, released on Thursday (November 20) added that alcohol-filled parties in Downing Street “undermined public confidence in decision-making” and significantly increased the risk of the public abandoning lockdown rules.
For Susan, the “shocking” revelations are not only upsetting but remind her of the ordeal she, and her six siblings had to go through.
“I think it’s disgusting that the government were all partying when we were following the rules,” mum-of-four Susan said.
“They were the government and should have been an example to us all and they weren’t. We didn’t find out what they were partying until later but it’s absolutely shocking.”
Susan explained her mum Doris Carr was living in The Orchards in Brandon, an assisted living complex, in late 2020 when she suddenly began to feel unwell and had a high temperature.
The 90-year-old was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham, where she passed away on January 6, 2021, with Susan by her side.
But just a few days after his mum’s death, Arthur, 70, began feeling unwell and was rushed to hospital by paramedics after a concerned neighbour called 999.
Tragically, the former miner passed away at the same hospital as his mum on January 15, 2021.
After the report was published, the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK campaign group slammed the actions of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the pandemic.
It said in a statement: “The evidence from the inquiry is clear, and while it is vindicating to see Boris Johnson blamed in black and white for the catastrophic mishandling of the pandemic, it is devastating to think of the lives that could have been saved under a different prime minister.
“We now know that many of our family members would still be alive today if it weren’t for the leadership of Boris Johnson and his colleagues.
“Boris Johnson put his political reputation ahead of public safety. He pandered to his critics when the UK needed decisive action. In delaying lockdowns he made them longer, more damaging to the economy and less effective.
“He ignored scientific advice that didn’t fit his agenda, and he ignored the impact of his decisions on the front line, repeating the mistakes of the first wave and prolonging the second.
“To make mistakes is human. To refuse to listen to frontline workers, vulnerable people, the insights of devolved leaders or scientific experts is unforgivable.
“The same arrogance that led those at the heart of government to hold parties while many of us died and grieved alone shaped the government’s approach to the pandemic, and led to loss of life at an unprecedented, avoidable scale.”
These are sentiments echoed by Susan, who hopes that one day those who led the country through the pandemic will face consequences.
She added: “I’ve heard people say before that Covid isn’t real. Covid was real – it was real for so many.
“There needs to be consequences. A lot of people were following the rules and action should be taken against those who didn’t.
“Lives could have been saved.”
Following the publication of the report, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement that he wanted to “take the opportunity to acknowledge the pain and suffering the pandemic caused”.
He added: “Of course we are taking measures to make sure that, not just the NHS but the Government as a whole, is prepared for any number of eventualities because we have to learn the lessons of Covid and that’s why we’re looking very carefully at the report.”
