UK government failures led to Covid spreading ‘like wildfire’ in care homes, inquiry finds

Inquiry chair says failure to isolate people discharged from hospital into care was ‘significant oversight’ The care sector was “an afterthought” during the Covid-19 pandemic, and government failures caused the virus to spread “like wildfire” among vulnerable and elderly people, a public inquiry has found. Heather Hallett, who is leading the Covid-19 inquiry, said it was a “significant omission” that the government did not advise isolating patients discharged from hospitals into care homes, causing the virus to spread rapidly among residents and staff.