Opinion

We must have a serious Covid-19 inquiry – not to assign blame, but to learn for the future

Among other things, the effects on mental health must be examined and a comparative analysis must be done with other countries

One question to be asked is why Ireland remained under some of the tightest restrictions in all of Europe while its transmission rates remained well below the peak here. Picture: Rollingnews

For quite some time, the Irish public has been promised a proper and serious inquiry into the state’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which did untold damage.

Extraordinary decisions were taken since March 12, 2020, when then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced Ireland’s first lockdown. It was a moment of real emergency. We knew little of this virus and its potential to wound or kill us.

More than €32 billion in Covid-19 spending – all borrowed ...