'Covid Inquiry needs to hear from people like me'

"I was frustrated, lonely and unhappy during lockdown."

That was the experience of Peter Livingstone during the pandemic, and he hopes the UK Covid-19 Inquiry will examine how people with learning disabilities coped.

He was speaking during an event to mark the inquiry arriving in Northern Ireland next week.

Peter, who is 35 and has disabilities, moved back to live with his parents during the pandemic.

He said being isolated from his friends during lockdown was tough.

"I was so lonely and when I had to go into hospital for treatment it depended on which matron was on if people were allowed in to visit me," Peter said.

Not being able to see family members was stressful and sad, he added.

Peter hopes people with learning disabilities will be given a voice so lessons can be learned and views recorded for the future.

Senior politicians, health officials and key decision makers who were charged with guiding Northern Ireland through the pandemic will appear before the UK Covid Inquiry from 30 April to give evidence.

Secretary to the inquiry Ben Connah said he wanted local people to continue coming forward to tell their stories and help shape the final report's recommendations.

Speaking at the Ulster Museum, where an exhibition marks key moments of the pandemic, Mr Connah said the inquiry's presence in NI was important.

"The inquiry will be examining the core decision making in NI and hearing stories from members of the public to help the inquiry build a fuller picture of how the pandemic affected local people and the UK as a whole," Mr Connah said.

He said it was not too late for people to get in touch.

Bereaved Families for Justice in Northern Ireland have said they are not satisfied with aspects of the inquiry and have called for Northern Ireland to have its own separate investigation.

Mr Connah, who has met families on numerous occasions, said he had tried to reassure them that their stories and concerns were important and key to the inquiry's overall findings.

The UK Covid Inquiry was established in June 2022 to examine the UK's response to and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and to learn lessons for the future.

It was established as a direct result of campaigning from Covid Bereaved Families for Justice who had been calling for a wide-reaching statutory inquiry that would establish the truth about how so many people lost their lives and whether any deaths could have been prevented.

Module 2c of the Inquiry will look at how the structures within NI responded and communicated with the UK government, decision-making, public health response, decisions made and by whom and how those decisions were informed.