On 23rd March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the country to ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’ to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. Twelve months on and several lockdowns later, the crisis has triggered the biggest economic slump in three centuries, an unprecedented £340 billion of emergency support and, tragically, the loss of over 120,000 lives. But as the vaccine rollout enables restrictions to loosen, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel. However, while it is tempting to focus solely on the future sunlit uplands, it is crucial to reflect on the achievements and mistakes of the past 12 months. How successful has the public health approach been in dealing with the challenges posed by Covid-19? Has the Chancellor taken the right approach to protecting jobs and living standards, and how might this affect Britain’s recovery? What lies behind the UK’s success on vaccinations, and what will its impact be? Has the past year changed how we view Government and the role of the state? And are experts back in fashion? To mark the one-year anniversary of the first lockdown, the Resolution Foundation is hosting an interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. We will hear from leading epidemiologist Professor Azra Ghani, BBC economist Evan Davis, and Yvette Cooper MP on what’s happened over the past year. Viewers will be able to submit questions to the panel before and during the event.
