Skip to content
openDemocracy
Subscribe

Covid bereaved say loved ones were treated ‘like toxic waste’ after death

UK was not equipped to deal with Covid deaths, bereaved families tell inquiry as Module 1 concludes

By James Harrison
Covid bereaved say loved ones were treated ‘like toxic waste’ after death
A detail from the Covid-19 Memorial Wall opposite the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London. Bereaved families told the Covid-19 inquiry their loved ones were treated 'like toxic waste' | Chris J Ratcliffe for Covid-19 Bereaved Families For Justice/Getty Images
Published:
Share

Campaigners have called for pandemic planning to put more focus on dealing with death and bereavement as the first stage of the Covid-19 inquiry prepares to wind up.

The opening module on ‘resilience and preparedness’ has entered its final sessions, after hearing throughout June and July from clinicians, civil servants, ministers and others.

But while evidence so far has focused on issues such as the impact of Brexit and whether the UK had stockpiled enough PPE, the families who lost loved ones spoke today about the realities of attempting to grieve in the middle of a pandemic.

This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. If you have any queries about republishing please contact us. Please check individual images for licensing details.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0