Three years after covid closed the country, do we really need an inquiry?

Sunday, March 12, marks the third anniversary of when Ireland went into lockdown, as the covid pandemic swept the globe. Now, an inquiry into how the State handled the pandemic is promised but what, if anything, is it likely to achieve?

Some older people are still reluctant to engage socially. File photo: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

On March 12, 2020, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar uttered those now infamous words to the nation: 'I need to speak to you about coronavirus'. 

The country then went into full lockdown mode, with schools, colleges, cultural institutions closed, people asked to work remotely, and sporting and social gatherings cancelled.