Covid — Five years on: ‘We did our best, but we need an inquiry to plan for the next pandemic’ 

Many of the actions taken: lockdowns, social distancing, hospital cancellations, and school closures should be questioned in hindsight, writes Dr Catherine Motherway

Dr Catherine Motherway says the covid lockdowns and visiting restrictions were not only very hard for families but were also hard on staff in intensive care units. Picture: Ray Ryan

Five years on from the start of lockdown in 2020, I find myself sometimes wondering if the pandemic really happened, and at the enormous changes we endured as a society. 

I believe we did the best we could at the time, but hindsight is a 20:20 vision. Looking back, we must remember to judge our actions in the context of what we knew at the time - and knowing that the death toll worldwide ended up at more than 7m people.