Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom has had far-reaching consequences in the country that go beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to quarantine it, including political, cultural, and social implications.

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) stated on 13 May that it "cannot give full assurance" on such schemes until the guidance for the next stage of its regulations are created.

[55] The COVID Support Force was initially tasked with driving oxygen tankers for the NHS, as well as delivering medical supplies, including PPE, to hospitals.

[71] Cambridge University closed all buildings from 20 March,[72] which was criticised by the local UCU as students from countries with weaker healthcare provisions would be forced to return home.

[81] GCSE and A Level exams were cancelled, an unprecedented action in UK educational history, with results awarded using predicted grades and teacher assessment.

[98] By 31 March, some police forces and individual officers, were being criticised by a variety of people including,[99] former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption,[100][101] former Justice secretary David Gauke,[99] former Chancellor George Osborne and privacy and civil liberties group Big Brother Watch for over-zealous and incorrect application of the new powers.

[100][104] According to data from the National Police Chiefs' Council, around 9,000 people were issued fines for breaking lockdown rules in England and Wales, between 27 March and 27 April.

[112][113] There have been reports of hate incidents against Italian and Chinese persons and a Singaporean student was assaulted in London in an attack that police linked to coronavirus fears.

Philip Jansen, the chief executive of BT, said that 39 engineers had been physically or verbally assaulted by members of the public, with some also receiving death threats.

[127] During the contact tracing app trial on the Isle of Wight the Chartered Trading Standards Institute found evidence of a phishing scam.

[140] On 14 April, the Ministry of Justice ordered 500 modular buildings, reportedly adapted from shipping containers, to provide additional single prison cell accommodation at seven jails: HMPs North Sea Camp, Littlehey, Hollesley Bay, Highpoint, Moorland, Lindholme and Humber.

[141] Following a COVID-19 case in HMP Manchester, public services think tank Reform called for the release of 2,305 "low-risk" offenders on short sentences to reduce the risk of coronavirus on the prison population.

[155] On 2 April, a letter leaked from G4S, a company running immigration detention centres for the Home Office, said detainees who were at high risk from COVID-19 were being put in solitary confinement.

[164] In May 2020, the actions of Boris Johnson's senior aide, Dominic Cummings, were the subject of a political scandal as he was accused of breaking lockdown rules while experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

Leaders in Northern England such as Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and several Conservative MPs, including those in the Northern Research Group, criticised the government when their regions were placed under local lockdown regulations and later tier regulations in England, citing the economic impact and accused the central government of providing inadequate fiscal support.

[178] Health Secretary Matt Hancock became embroiled in a scandal in 2021 when photographs emerged of him breaching social distancing measures by kissing aide Gina Coladangelo in his workplace, which led to his resignation in June 2021.

[180] Starting in December 2021, "Partygate" became a major political scandal, revolving around government and Conservative Party staff holding social gatherings during COVID-19 lockdowns in the UK, when these were prohibited.

[citation needed] Nigel Farage's Brexit Party rebranded as Reform UK in late 2020, with its primary focus being opposing COVID-19 lockdowns.

[189] The second was during the second lockdown in 2021 as part of the campaign ‘Reclaim These Streets', where women were arrested for attending the vigil of ‘Sarah Everard’ who was killed by a Metropolitan police officer.

In the UK, ethnic minorities are generally more likely to work in jobs (such as security guards or supermarket staff) where they are most likely to be exposed to the public, and therefore at greater risk of infection.

[191] According to a government-ordered inquiry released by Public Health England in June 2020, Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people in the UK are more likely to contract and die from COVID-19 complications than White Britons.

[192] Data from the Office for National Statistics (2 March–28 July 2020) showed that most ethnic minorities in England and Wales (excluding Indians and Chinese) are more likely than Whites to live in the most deprived 10% of areas in the UK, where death from COVID-19 is more likely.

[209][210] The Chief Rabbi in the United Kingdom advised the suspension of worship in synagogues, and the Muslim Council of Britain ordered the closure of mosques in the country.

[232] The Duchess of Cambridge launched a new initiative with the National Portrait Gallery called "Hold Still", to highlight heroes and helpers and acts of kindness.

[242][243][244][245] In March 2020, UK Research and Innovation announced[246] the launch of a website to explain the scientific evidence and the facts about the virus, the disease, the epidemic, and its control, in a bid to dispel misinformation.

Polls by YouGov, the Reuters Institute, Survation, Ipsos MORI and research by Ofcom, concluded that broadcasters and newspapers were widely considered to be the most trusted sources of information on pandemic.

[257] According to data from the National Police Chiefs' Council, two-thirds of the people who were issued fines for breaking lockdown rules in England and Wales, between 27 March and 27 April, were between the ages of 18 and 34.

[260] On 10 March, the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal was postponed in light of confirmation that Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis had contracted the virus.

[300][301][302] Angela McLean, deputy chief scientific adviser to the UK government said that the idea that the match could have significantly contributed to the spread of the virus was an interesting hypothesis.

Rugby Union matches involving Bath and Gloucester and Bristol and Leicester and a horse racing meeting at Newmarket which were part of the trial would no longer have any attendees.