The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has today (Monday 12 May 2025) published its latest Every Story Matters record. It brings together the UK public’s first-hand, and often challenging, experiences of the four nations’ differing test, trace and isolate systems implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Every Story Matters is the largest public engagement exercise ever undertaken by a UK public inquiry. Tens of thousands of contributors have shared their stories with the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, helping form themed records to inform its ongoing investigations.
The latest record is published on the opening day of public hearings for the Inquiry’s seventh investigation: Module 7 ‘Test, Trace and Isolate’. The module will consider the policies and strategies developed and deployed to support the test, trace and isolate system by the UK Government, and the differing systems adopted in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This Every Story Matters record brings together contributors’ experiences of the different test, trace and isolate systems introduced during the pandemic. The record sets out a wide range of experiences including:
- Strong feelings around ‘doing the right thing’ and duty of care for others, for family or the wider community.
- Local communities stepping up to help people and the voluntary sector providing invaluable help to those on their own when isolating.
- People’s concerns about data security and privacy and how this affected whether or not they participated in contact tracing.
- A shift in people’s attitudes with regards to following guidance once news broke about politicians and officials breaking lockdown rules.
- Concerns raised by some of the pressures exerted by employers not to use contact tracing apps or to not self-isolate and feelings of anger and frustration that followed
- For some, pre-existing mental health conditions worsened as a result of self-isolation, including living with anxiety.
- Carers of young children and carers of those with additional needs such as dementia found conducting the tests difficult and upsetting.
- A lack of awareness of the financial and practical support to help people self-isolate.
- People sharing how accessible and convenient they found testing centres
Every Story Matters records assist the Chair, Baroness Heather Hallett, in reaching conclusions and making recommendations for the future. Two records have been published to date, ‘Healthcare Systems’ in September 2024 and ‘Vaccines and Therapeutics’ in January 2025.
There is still time for the public to share their story online with Every Story Matters. The Inquiry is encouraging anyone who wishes to contribute to do so before 23rd May, when the online form closes.
This is your last chance to feed into the biggest engagement exercise carried out by any UK inquiry. Every Story Matters is a vital part of the Inquiry and these records will ensure that everyone who took the time to share their pandemic experience plays a part in shaping recommendations for the future.
From the very start we knew this would have to be a UK-wide effort, which is why we took the time to visit over 25 locations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Our staff participated in over 10,000 conversations at these public events, part of over 58,000 stories shared with Every Story Matters.
I would like to thank everyone who contributed their time and has given us a better insight into lives during the pandemic. We've heard of sadness and isolation, but also of communities coming together and stories of individual kindness that will stay with us all
People found that the effects of self isolation took a toll on their mental health:
I just felt really lonely. I think I cried most of the time when I had to [self-] isolate. You know, because I was unwell and I had to look after seven children because no one could come in to help me... Like I said, I felt very anxious, I felt depressed.
It didn't affect us [parents] greatly. I think it affected my son more because he wasn't able to see his girlfriend and, you know, they were desperately in love and they found it mentally extremely difficult.
[I] couldn't get outside, couldn't go for a walk; it [self-isolation] affected my mental health, my health. I thought things would get better, but it didn't; it took a long time.
For me it was even harder because I was living with an abusive partner that was very selfish and didn't abide by the rules, didn't think they applied to him. And so, I was trying to keep my son safe, trying to battle with him, it was just a really hard time.
Many people reported confusion throughout the whole process:
The self-isolation, everyone understands. Testing, everyone understands. The tracing bit, whether it was maybe not explained why it's important or how it works, or how the technology works, or what are the very clear one, two, three steps you need to take. I think that bit for me, there was a confusion.
I would just say there seemed to be a lot of apps, all at the one time. And unless you knew what you were doing it was easy to get a little bit lost and to be using the wrong one as I obviously did a few times.
People saw the programme as an important way to protect themselves and others from Covid-19:
Mainly, it [adhering to self-isolation guidelines] was because I didn't want to kill them [contributor’s parents]...you just have to be realistic, and you've got to protect people. We were doing what we were told and that was it, you know?
I was in [a] high-risk group, so I just knew I had to follow the guidelines and get tested. It was a no-brainer for me.
Some people felt that support in the community was vital and welcomed:
We had a Covid group on WhatsApp that was done by our local council, who took every street and set it all up so that everybody who was online obviously had that contact. And, they tried to let people know which homes didn't have the access so that local people could help them if they weren't having any access [to essentials]
Others were concerned about the consequences for those found to be breaking their isolation:
But there was this scare that if you go out, you could be fined. And then I thought, 'Gosh, if I actually - since I'm not a British citizen, if I get fined, if they say, ‘You're doing something you shouldn't do’, there could be a danger of losing my right to stay in this country
When information came to light about government scandals... and people were getting tired of strict isolation rules, I think that's when it got to a stage where people started rebelling, and people started saying no, enough's enough. I think it got to a stage, I'll be totally honest with you, people were going, 'Do you know what, if I'm going to die, I'm going to die with all my family around me.
People would also liked to have seen more done to counter misinformation:
There was a lot of disinformation and misinformation concerning the NHSCovid app for smart phones. I was quite happy to use the app because I thought it was a useful tool but a lot of people I know either didn't download it or removed it from their smart phones because they thought the government was monitoring their movements and there was some issue with the app development.
People found themselves suffering from the effects of having to isolate themselves:
That two-week one, I thought it was awful. At first it was fun, but I was confined to a room. I wasn't confined to a house, like I am now, if I were to [self-]isolate. I had a double bed and I had a puppy who was teething, and it was just stressful, especially when I got told I couldn't go out. That's what made me want to defy it, actually, was when I've got someone telling me I can't leave my room, I can't walk the dog. That's what made me think, 'No, I'm not doing that.
Every Story Matters is the public’s opportunity to share the impact the pandemic had on their life with the UK Covid-19 Inquiry – without the formality of giving evidence or attending a public hearing. If you want to tell your pandemic story, you can still contribute to Every Story Matters online until Friday 23 of May.