Latest news with #Covid-19Inquiry
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Matt Hancock gives verdict on botched Covid 'test and trace' operation
Former health secretary Matt Hancock is grilled at the Covid-19 Inquiry about setting up a privatised "test and trace" service which failed to prevent repeated lockdowns Matt Hancock has defended Britain's botched pandemic 'test and trace' operation at the Covid-19 Inquiry which failed to prevent repeated lockdowns. The former Health Secretary outsourced the nation's vital contact tracing rather than beefing up existing NHS and local public health laboratories and its failure contributed to the need for further lockdown measures. The disgraced ex-minister blamed health leaders for being unable to scale up testing laboratories, insisting 'Public Health England didn't have the operational capacity to scale [up]' The Tories' privatised 'NHS Test and Trace' operation was set up in May 2020 costing £37 billion and led by Mr Hancock's friend, Tory Peer Baroness Dido Harding. Outsourcing firms like Serco were paid millions to call people and advise them to self-isolate but used agency call centre staff paid the minimum wage who were largely not medically trained. The former I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here contestant said: 'The critical thing is that we absolutely must, as a nation, be ready to expand and radically expand testing capacity. Once the test is developed, I had to do that. 'And there are critics who said that it was done in the wrong way. What matters is that it's done and it is planned for next time to be ready to be done.' PM Boris Johnson promised a " world beating" system but the Public Accounts Committee later found NHS Test and Trace failed in its main objective of breaking chains of COVID-19 transmission. A BBC investigation at the time showed only half of close contacts were being reached in some areas. Mr Hancock said Public Health England (PHE) 'proved entirely incapable of expanding that testing capacity', adding: 'It was a cottage industry and we needed industrial scale capacity'. The inquiry heard how Mr Hancock set up a contract tracing system 'from scratch' rather than providing the funding to upgrade local authority labs and facilities run by PHE. The barrister questioning Mr Hancock on behalf of the inquiry asked whether he was aware that local contact tracing systems already existed. Sophie Cartright KC said: 'Did you appreciate that, that the directors of public health within local authority is discharged and performed the role of contact tracing? There was this resource in every local authority across the United Kingdom that had the resources.' Mr Hancock responded: 'Of course I appreciated that. There was one person in each of the upper tier local authorities and therefore, around 100 people, brilliant people, I engaged with a huge number of them throughout the pandemic. But the idea that they alone could have solved this problem was, unfortunately, the wrong attitude.' Mr Hancock resigned as health secretary in 2021 after admitting breaching social distancing guidance after photos showed him in a romantic embrace with colleague Gina Coladangelo. Lack of NHS testing capacity meant testing everyone who had Covid symptoms had to be abandoned early in the pandemic once 'community transmission' was established in the UK. Mr Hancock told the inquiry: 'The doctrine that we had going into the pandemic, that was shared by most of the Western world and the World Health Organisation, was wrong. 'The advice I received from Public Health England was that we should not need or try to test at scale or contact trace at scale as soon as there was community based transmission. There was no point in testing and contact tracing any further outside of hospitals because, effectively, everybody was going to get infected. 'That was the wrong attitude and it is absolutely critical that next time there's a pandemic… we are ready to take the actions to stop it spreading and protect the most vulnerable first.' He concluded: 'The single most important thing is to conclude that the industrial scale, expansion of testing is necessary and we need to be ready to do it.'
North Wales Chronicle
22-05-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
No evidence of fall in Covid rules compliance after Storey funeral, O'Neill says
Former Northern Ireland first minister Arlene Foster made the claim at the Covid-19 Inquiry in London on Wednesday as it examined Stormont decisions made on test, trace and isolation. The former DUP leader said there was a fall in compliance after Sinn Fein ministers, including Ms O'Neill, attended the large-scale funeral for the senior republican in west Belfast in June 2020, when there were restrictions on social gatherings. 'I don't think that we were slow to promote compliance because day after day at press conferences we were urging the public to comply,' Mrs Foster told the inquiry on Wednesday. 'There was a breakdown in compliance after the attendance of senior members of Sinn Fein at a high-ranking republican funeral at the end of June, which caused severe difficulties in Northern Ireland with compliance and adherence.' She said that despite efforts made, including working with the PSNI and giving money to councils to employ Covid marshals, there was 'a difficulty which still hung over the Executive' around non-compliance because of the Storey funeral. Asked about Mrs Foster's comments, Ms O'Neill told the inquiry: 'I think, unfortunately, I believe Arlene Foster raised that issue again today in the inquiry because the comments are politically motivated. 'I don't believe there is any evidence that suggests that actually is the case.' Ms O'Neill apologised for having attended the funeral at the Covid inquiry in 2024. Northern Ireland chief medical officer Michael McBride told the inquiry there was no evidence to support the claim that compliance dropped as a result of the Storey funeral. 'From a purely scientific and public health perspective, I'm not aware of any evidence that that's the case,' he said. 'I think the major driver of the increase in cases throughout that summer, into September, into October, were the relaxations in the non-pharmaceutical measures, which had been agreed by the Executive, that's what led to the increase in transmission. 'There was more mixing with more people coming together in a range of environments, and that led to an increase in the pandemic.' Earlier on Wednesday, Mrs Foster said it was 'inhumane' that people had to die alone during the Covid-19 pandemic. The former DUP leader said if she could change one thing from that period, it would be that families should have been allowed to make their own informed decisions on being with their dying loved ones. Asked about whether black, Asian and minority ethnic groups suffered as a result of pre-existing inequalities, Mrs Foster said this was true 'of a number of different groups'. 'Young people, for example, were denied chances in life that they would have otherwise had,' she said. 'Those living alone were isolated and lonely, people who were dying alone in hospital and if I could change one thing, my lady, it would be that. 'We should have given families all of the information, told them about the risks, and allowed them to make the decisions as to whether they wanted to be with their loved ones as they were dying. 'Because I think it is quite inhumane, when one thinks about it, to allow someone to die alone in the way that so many people did.' Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill were also asked about the decision to pause contact tracing on March 12 2020. It was reintroduced as a pilot on April 27 and introduced fully on May 18. Mrs Foster said the decision was made after a Cobra meeting on March 12, at which she, Ms O'Neill, and then Health Minister Robin Swann had little opportunity to engage and were 'in receive mode'. Both Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill said they did not take it from the Cobra meeting that contact tracing was to stop. Mrs Foster said: 'I didn't have the understanding after that Cobra meeting, clearly wrongly now, that we were going to stop contact tracing as a consequence of the discussions at that Cobra meeting. The Department of Health clearly did have that understanding and stopped the contact tracing.' Mr McBride said it was 'clear' to him that a decision was made to stop contact tracing at the Cobra meeting. Asked by the inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett whether Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill 'didn't understand that was what the decision was', he said: 'I thought it was clear and it was clearly reflected in the minutes of the Cobra meeting.' Mr McBride told the inquiry that testing capacity issues were behind the decision to stop community testing and that the ending of contact tracing was a 'second order' as a result. He said: 'Even a week after March 12, we had less than 200 tests available to us in Northern Ireland on a daily basis, and even that was limited because of the lack of reagents that we had and swabs that we had because of global supply issues.' Mr McBride said if they had more tests and testing capacity, they would have continued community testing and contact tracing for longer. Mrs Foster said that test and trace was not initially seen as a 'significant' issue that warranted an Executive decision. She said in hindsight it 'probably should have come to the Executive' but also added it 'probably would have made it slower'. 'I know that there was a very real concern at that time that the amount of work officials were being asked to do was quite significant, and I'm not suggesting that it didn't come to the Executive for this reason but it would have certainly slowed decision-making down at that time,' she said. Ms O'Neill said she had raised concerns about ending contact tracing in March, as it went against the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Notes by Ms O'Neill, who was then the deputy First Minister, were read out from a meeting on March 16 where she wrote 'GB approach nightmare compared to rest of world'. She told the inquiry it was 'absolutely' a decision by the Department of Health to stop contact tracing in mid-March and that she believed it 'wasn't the right approach'. Ms O'Neill was asked by Baroness Hallett whether she was not listened to because of deep political divides in Northern Ireland. 'The fact that we live on an island, the fact that we were one single epidemiological unit, that wasn't factored into decision-making. 'That's not a political point, that's just a logical point. I didn't feel like that was being taken on board. 'I think perhaps that, at times, could be seen as I wanted to follow everything in the south. I didn't. I wanted to follow everything that worked, and I didn't mind where it came from, as long as it worked for the people that we represented.' Also appearing before the inquiry was former health minister Robin Swann, who said he remembers being challenged on the decision to end contact tracing in March 2020, but not being told to change course. He said the first minister and deputy first minister have the power to call any decision made by a minister to the Executive 'for a different approach to be taken'. 'My reading, my understanding of that conversation and their statements is that none of them thought we had taken that step too early,' Mr Swann said of ending contact tracing in mid-March 2020. 'In regards to the comments 'test, test, test', I think (it) was an easy soundbite because it didn't match actually our capacity in regards to the tests that we had.' He added: 'There was challenge, there was questioning, there was robust debate around the direction we were taking, but there was no direction from the Executive, first or deputy first minister, actually to change course. 'That approach for saying 'test, test, test', just because you say it doesn't mean to say tests will miraculously appear, reagents will appear, swabs will appear, or the machines that were necessary across the labs would suddenly materialise.' Asked about Hazel Gray, whose mother and father died of Covid and who had contacted Mr Swann in 2020, he expressed his sympathies with the family. Mr Swann said: 'If I had had the ability to test everyone regularly when they wanted it, as they required it, I can assure you, my lady, and this inquiry and the members that I would have been doing that from the very beginning.'
Leader Live
21-05-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
No evidence of fall in Covid rules compliance after Storey funeral, O'Neill says
Former Northern Ireland first minister Arlene Foster made the claim at the Covid-19 Inquiry in London on Wednesday as it examined Stormont decisions made on test, trace and isolation. The former DUP leader said there was a fall in compliance after Sinn Fein ministers, including Ms O'Neill, attended the large-scale funeral for the senior republican in west Belfast in June 2020, when there were restrictions on social gatherings. 'I don't think that we were slow to promote compliance because day after day at press conferences we were urging the public to comply,' Mrs Foster told the inquiry on Wednesday. 'There was a breakdown in compliance after the attendance of senior members of Sinn Fein at a high-ranking republican funeral at the end of June, which caused severe difficulties in Northern Ireland with compliance and adherence.' She said that despite efforts made, including working with the PSNI and giving money to councils to employ Covid marshals, there was 'a difficulty which still hung over the Executive' around non-compliance because of the Storey funeral. Asked about Mrs Foster's comments, Ms O'Neill told the inquiry: 'I think, unfortunately, I believe Arlene Foster raised that issue again today in the inquiry because the comments are politically motivated. 'I don't believe there is any evidence that suggests that actually is the case.' Ms O'Neill apologised for having attended the funeral at the Covid inquiry in 2024. Northern Ireland chief medical officer Michael McBride told the inquiry there was no evidence to support the claim that compliance dropped as a result of the Storey funeral. 'From a purely scientific and public health perspective, I'm not aware of any evidence that that's the case,' he said. 'I think the major driver of the increase in cases throughout that summer, into September, into October, were the relaxations in the non-pharmaceutical measures, which had been agreed by the Executive, that's what led to the increase in transmission. 'There was more mixing with more people coming together in a range of environments, and that led to an increase in the pandemic.' Earlier on Wednesday, Mrs Foster said it was 'inhumane' that people had to die alone during the Covid-19 pandemic. The former DUP leader said if she could change one thing from that period, it would be that families should have been allowed to make their own informed decisions on being with their dying loved ones. Asked about whether black, Asian and minority ethnic groups suffered as a result of pre-existing inequalities, Mrs Foster said this was true 'of a number of different groups'. 'Young people, for example, were denied chances in life that they would have otherwise had,' she said. 'Those living alone were isolated and lonely, people who were dying alone in hospital and if I could change one thing, my lady, it would be that. 'We should have given families all of the information, told them about the risks, and allowed them to make the decisions as to whether they wanted to be with their loved ones as they were dying. 'Because I think it is quite inhumane, when one thinks about it, to allow someone to die alone in the way that so many people did.' Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill were also asked about the decision to pause contact tracing on March 12 2020. It was reintroduced as a pilot on April 27 and introduced fully on May 18. Mrs Foster said the decision was made after a Cobra meeting on March 12, at which she, Ms O'Neill, and then Health Minister Robin Swann had little opportunity to engage and were 'in receive mode'. Both Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill said they did not take it from the Cobra meeting that contact tracing was to stop. Mrs Foster said: 'I didn't have the understanding after that Cobra meeting, clearly wrongly now, that we were going to stop contact tracing as a consequence of the discussions at that Cobra meeting. The Department of Health clearly did have that understanding and stopped the contact tracing.' Mr McBride said it was 'clear' to him that a decision was made to stop contact tracing at the Cobra meeting. Asked by the inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett whether Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill 'didn't understand that was what the decision was', he said: 'I thought it was clear and it was clearly reflected in the minutes of the Cobra meeting.' Mr McBride told the inquiry that testing capacity issues were behind the decision to stop community testing and that the ending of contact tracing was a 'second order' as a result. He said: 'Even a week after March 12, we had less than 200 tests available to us in Northern Ireland on a daily basis, and even that was limited because of the lack of reagents that we had and swabs that we had because of global supply issues.' Mr McBride said if they had more tests and testing capacity, they would have continued community testing and contact tracing for longer. Mrs Foster said that test and trace was not initially seen as a 'significant' issue that warranted an Executive decision. She said in hindsight it 'probably should have come to the Executive' but also added it 'probably would have made it slower'. 'I know that there was a very real concern at that time that the amount of work officials were being asked to do was quite significant, and I'm not suggesting that it didn't come to the Executive for this reason but it would have certainly slowed decision-making down at that time,' she said. Ms O'Neill said she had raised concerns about ending contact tracing in March, as it went against the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Notes by Ms O'Neill, who was then the deputy First Minister, were read out from a meeting on March 16 where she wrote 'GB approach nightmare compared to rest of world'. She told the inquiry it was 'absolutely' a decision by the Department of Health to stop contact tracing in mid-March and that she believed it 'wasn't the right approach'. Ms O'Neill was asked by Baroness Hallett whether she was not listened to because of deep political divides in Northern Ireland. 'The fact that we live on an island, the fact that we were one single epidemiological unit, that wasn't factored into decision-making. 'That's not a political point, that's just a logical point. I didn't feel like that was being taken on board. 'I think perhaps that, at times, could be seen as I wanted to follow everything in the south. I didn't. I wanted to follow everything that worked, and I didn't mind where it came from, as long as it worked for the people that we represented.' Also appearing before the inquiry was former health minister Robin Swann, who said he remembers being challenged on the decision to end contact tracing in March 2020, but not being told to change course. He said the first minister and deputy first minister have the power to call any decision made by a minister to the Executive 'for a different approach to be taken'. 'My reading, my understanding of that conversation and their statements is that none of them thought we had taken that step too early,' Mr Swann said of ending contact tracing in mid-March 2020. 'In regards to the comments 'test, test, test', I think (it) was an easy soundbite because it didn't match actually our capacity in regards to the tests that we had.' He added: 'There was challenge, there was questioning, there was robust debate around the direction we were taking, but there was no direction from the Executive, first or deputy first minister, actually to change course. 'That approach for saying 'test, test, test', just because you say it doesn't mean to say tests will miraculously appear, reagents will appear, swabs will appear, or the machines that were necessary across the labs would suddenly materialise.' Asked about Hazel Gray, whose mother and father died of Covid and who had contacted Mr Swann in 2020, he expressed his sympathies with the family. Mr Swann said: 'If I had had the ability to test everyone regularly when they wanted it, as they required it, I can assure you, my lady, and this inquiry and the members that I would have been doing that from the very beginning.'
ITV News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Michelle O'Neill denies attending Bobby Storey funeral impacted compliance with covid lockdown
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said there is no evidence to suggest there was a fall in compliance with Covid restrictions after Bobby Storey's Northern Ireland first minister Arlene Foster made the claim at the Covid-19 Inquiry in Belfast on Wednesday as it examined Stormont decisions made on test, trace and former DUP leader said there was a fall in compliance after Sinn Féin ministers, including Ms O'Neill, attended the large-scale funeral for the senior republican in west Belfast in June 2020, when there were restrictions on social gatherings. 'I don't think that we were slow to promote compliance because day after day at press conferences we were urging the public to comply,' Mrs Foster told the inquiry on Wednesday.'There was a breakdown in compliance after the attendance of senior members of Sinn Féin at a high-ranking republican funeral at the end of June, which caused severe difficulties in Northern Ireland with compliance and adherence.'She said that despite efforts made, including working with the PSNI and giving money to councils to employ Covid marshals, there was 'a difficulty which still hung over the Executive' around non-compliance because of the Storey about Mrs Foster's comments, Ms O'Neill told the inquiry: 'I think, unfortunately, I believe Arlene Foster raised that issue again today in the inquiry because the comments are politically motivated.'I don't believe there is any evidence that suggests that actually is the case.'Ms O'Neill apologised for having attended the funeral at the Covid inquiry in on Wednesday, Mrs Foster said it was 'inhumane' that people had to die alone during the Covid-19 former DUP leader said if she could change one thing from that period, it would be that families should have been allowed to make their own informed decisions on being with their dying loved about whether black, Asian and minority ethnic groups suffered as a result of pre-existing inequalities, Mrs Foster said this was true 'of a number of different groups'.'Young people, for example, were denied chances in life that they would have otherwise had,' she said.'Those living alone were isolated and lonely, people who were dying alone in hospital and if I could change one thing, my lady, it would be that.'We should have given families all of the information, told them about the risks, and allowed them to make the decisions as to whether they wanted to be with their loved ones as they were dying.'Because I think it is quite inhumane, when one thinks about it, to allow someone to die alone in the way that so many people did.'Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill were also asked about the decision to end contact tracing on March 12 Foster said the decision was made after a Cobra meeting on March 12, at which she, Ms O'Neill, and Health Minister Robin Swann had little opportunity to engage and were 'in receive mode'.Both Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill said they did not take it from the Cobra meeting that contact tracing was to Foster said: 'I didn't have the understanding after that Cobra meeting, clearly wrongly now, that we were going to stop contact tracing as a consequence of the discussions at that Cobra meeting. The Department of Health clearly did have that understanding and stopped the contact tracing.'NI chief medical officer Michael McBride told the inquiry that testing capacity issues were behind the decision to stop community testing and that the ending of contact tracing was a 'second order' as a result of that.'Even a week after 12 March, we had less than 200 tests available to us in Northern Ireland on a daily basis, and even that was limited because of the lack of reagents that we had and swabs that we had because of global supply issues.'Mrs Foster was asked whether, given there were 20 confirmed cases in Northern Ireland at the time, a different decision about stopping testing and contact tracing on March 12 could have been made.'There was an option… but those options weren't taken. I think we were quite early in the pandemic, and were not prepared for what was coming at us, to be honest with you,' she said on Foster said that test and trace was not initially seen as a 'significant' issue that warranted an Executive said in hindsight it 'probably should have come to the Executive' but also added it 'probably would have made it slower'.'I know that there was a very real concern at that time that the amount of work officials were being asked to do was quite significant, and I'm not suggesting that it didn't come to the Executive for this reason but it would have certainly slowed decision-making down at that time,' she said there was no 'plug and play' system in place for contact tracing and said she hoped one lesson would be the ability to 'scale up at speed if something like this were to happen again'.Ms O'Neill said she had raised concerns about ending contact tracing in March, as it went against the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO).Notes by Ms O'Neill, who was then the deputy First Minister, were read out from a meeting on March 16 where she wrote 'GB approach nightmare compared to rest of world'.She told the inquiry it was 'absolutely' a decision by the Department of Health to stop contact tracing in O'Neill was asked about a note she had that the Department of Health would 'prefer to use resources to combat Covid-19 rather than count, self-isolate for seven days first rather than testing'.'I think perhaps it could be characterised as a defensive statement that let's not just count, let's do something else. But I believe that, again, it wasn't the right approach.'Ms O'Neill was asked by inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett whether she was not listened to because of deep political divides in Northern Ireland.'The fact that we live on an island, the fact that we were one single epidemiological unit, that wasn't factored into decision-making.'That's not a political point, that's just a logical point. I didn't feel like that was being taken on board.'I think perhaps that, at times, could be seen as I wanted to follow everything in the south. I didn't. I wanted to follow everything that worked, and I didn't mind where it came from, as long as it worked for the people that we represented.'
Powys County Times
21-05-2025
- Health
- Powys County Times
No evidence of fall in Covid rules compliance after Storey funeral, O'Neill says
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said there is no evidence to suggest there was a fall in compliance with Covid restrictions after Bobby Storey's funeral. Former Northern Ireland first minister Arlene Foster made the claim at the Covid-19 Inquiry in London on Wednesday as it examined Stormont decisions made on test, trace and isolation. The former DUP leader said there was a fall in compliance after Sinn Fein ministers, including Ms O'Neill, attended the large-scale funeral for the senior republican in west Belfast in June 2020, when there were restrictions on social gatherings. 'I don't think that we were slow to promote compliance because day after day at press conferences we were urging the public to comply,' Mrs Foster told the inquiry on Wednesday. 'There was a breakdown in compliance after the attendance of senior members of Sinn Fein at a high-ranking republican funeral at the end of June, which caused severe difficulties in Northern Ireland with compliance and adherence.' She said that despite efforts made, including working with the PSNI and giving money to councils to employ Covid marshals, there was 'a difficulty which still hung over the Executive' around non-compliance because of the Storey funeral. Asked about Mrs Foster's comments, Ms O'Neill told the inquiry: 'I think, unfortunately, I believe Arlene Foster raised that issue again today in the inquiry because the comments are politically motivated. 'I don't believe there is any evidence that suggests that actually is the case.' Ms O'Neill apologised for having attended the funeral at the Covid inquiry in 2024. Northern Ireland chief medical officer Michael McBride told the inquiry there was no evidence to support the claim that compliance dropped as a result of the Storey funeral. 'From a purely scientific and public health perspective, I'm not aware of any evidence that that's the case,' he said. 'I think the major driver of the increase in cases throughout that summer, into September, into October, were the relaxations in the non-pharmaceutical measures, which had been agreed by the Executive, that's what led to the increase in transmission. 'There was more mixing with more people coming together in a range of environments, and that led to an increase in the pandemic.' Earlier on Wednesday, Mrs Foster said it was 'inhumane' that people had to die alone during the Covid-19 pandemic. The former DUP leader said if she could change one thing from that period, it would be that families should have been allowed to make their own informed decisions on being with their dying loved ones. Asked about whether black, Asian and minority ethnic groups suffered as a result of pre-existing inequalities, Mrs Foster said this was true 'of a number of different groups'. 'Young people, for example, were denied chances in life that they would have otherwise had,' she said. 'Those living alone were isolated and lonely, people who were dying alone in hospital and if I could change one thing, my lady, it would be that. 'We should have given families all of the information, told them about the risks, and allowed them to make the decisions as to whether they wanted to be with their loved ones as they were dying. 'Because I think it is quite inhumane, when one thinks about it, to allow someone to die alone in the way that so many people did.' Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill were also asked about the decision to pause contact tracing on March 12 2020. It was reintroduced as a pilot on April 27 and introduced fully on May 18. Mrs Foster said the decision was made after a Cobra meeting on March 12, at which she, Ms O'Neill, and then Health Minister Robin Swann had little opportunity to engage and were 'in receive mode'. Both Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill said they did not take it from the Cobra meeting that contact tracing was to stop. Mrs Foster said: 'I didn't have the understanding after that Cobra meeting, clearly wrongly now, that we were going to stop contact tracing as a consequence of the discussions at that Cobra meeting. The Department of Health clearly did have that understanding and stopped the contact tracing.' Mr McBride said it was 'clear' to him that a decision was made to stop contact tracing at the Cobra meeting. Asked by the inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett whether Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill 'didn't understand that was what the decision was', he said: 'I thought it was clear and it was clearly reflected in the minutes of the Cobra meeting.' Mr McBride told the inquiry that testing capacity issues were behind the decision to stop community testing and that the ending of contact tracing was a 'second order' as a result. He said: 'Even a week after March 12, we had less than 200 tests available to us in Northern Ireland on a daily basis, and even that was limited because of the lack of reagents that we had and swabs that we had because of global supply issues.' Mr McBride said if they had more tests and testing capacity, they would have continued community testing and contact tracing for longer. Mrs Foster said that test and trace was not initially seen as a 'significant' issue that warranted an Executive decision. She said in hindsight it 'probably should have come to the Executive' but also added it 'probably would have made it slower'. 'I know that there was a very real concern at that time that the amount of work officials were being asked to do was quite significant, and I'm not suggesting that it didn't come to the Executive for this reason but it would have certainly slowed decision-making down at that time,' she said. Ms O'Neill said she had raised concerns about ending contact tracing in March, as it went against the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Notes by Ms O'Neill, who was then the deputy First Minister, were read out from a meeting on March 16 where she wrote 'GB approach nightmare compared to rest of world'. She told the inquiry it was 'absolutely' a decision by the Department of Health to stop contact tracing in mid-March and that she believed it 'wasn't the right approach'. Ms O'Neill was asked by Baroness Hallett whether she was not listened to because of deep political divides in Northern Ireland. 'The fact that we live on an island, the fact that we were one single epidemiological unit, that wasn't factored into decision-making. 'That's not a political point, that's just a logical point. I didn't feel like that was being taken on board. 'I think perhaps that, at times, could be seen as I wanted to follow everything in the south. I didn't. I wanted to follow everything that worked, and I didn't mind where it came from, as long as it worked for the people that we represented.' Also appearing before the inquiry was former health minister Robin Swann, who said he remembers being challenged on the decision to end contact tracing in March 2020, but not being told to change course. He said the first minister and deputy first minister have the power to call any decision made by a minister to the Executive 'for a different approach to be taken'. 'My reading, my understanding of that conversation and their statements is that none of them thought we had taken that step too early,' Mr Swann said of ending contact tracing in mid-March 2020. 'In regards to the comments 'test, test, test', I think (it) was an easy soundbite because it didn't match actually our capacity in regards to the tests that we had.' He added: 'There was challenge, there was questioning, there was robust debate around the direction we were taking, but there was no direction from the Executive, first or deputy first minister, actually to change course. 'That approach for saying 'test, test, test', just because you say it doesn't mean to say tests will miraculously appear, reagents will appear, swabs will appear, or the machines that were necessary across the labs would suddenly materialise.' Asked about Hazel Gray, whose mother and father died of Covid and who had contacted Mr Swann in 2020, he expressed his sympathies with the family. Mr Swann said: 'If I had had the ability to test everyone regularly when they wanted it, as they required it, I can assure you, my lady, and this inquiry and the members that I would have been doing that from the very beginning.'
