Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
The Cabinet Office attributed the absence of detailed planning for a pandemic like COVID-19 to...
Conclusion
The Cabinet Office attributed the absence of detailed planning for a pandemic like COVID-19 to the fact that they did not anticipate a disease with asymptomatic transmission which required an extended lockdown.26 Yet, a large-scale infection with widespread asymptomatic transmission was not unprecedented. The early spread of HIV, too, was partly caused by the fact that it was an asymptomatic condition that could take months before being diagnosed. The Cabinet Office and the Department recognised that government needs to set out risks more broadly and be prepared for a wider range of manifestations of any given risk.27
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The government recognises that it did not anticipate a disease with asymptomatic transmission which required an extended lockdown. The government will draw on the lessons learned from the pandemic response to strengthen future planning.