The UK-wide inquiry’s hearings in Belfast will run for three weeks.
Relatives of local people who died during the pandemic wore red and held pictures of their loved ones outside the inquiry venue
This module will investigate the initial response, central government decision making, political and civil service performance as well as the effectiveness of relationships with governments in the devolved administrations and local and voluntary sectors.Former first minister Baroness Arlene Foster, current First Minister Michelle O’Neill , and Health Minister Robin Swann are expected to be among the witnesses to give evidence.
The first sitting in Belfast opened with the showing of a film during which people impacted by the pandemic spoke of the effect it had had on their lives. “In Northern Ireland, the question of whether political considerations formed the positions adopted by politicians or coloured their approach to decision making is just unavoidable, but it’s not a carte blanche for a blame game either,” she said.
Earlier, a campaign group representing bereaved Northern Ireland families held a public gathering to coincide with the first day of the Belfast sittings.
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