Grenfell Inquiry Update: Suspended until February due to latest COVID-19 Restrictions
COVID-19 andever-changing national restrictions have caused numerous delays andpostponements throughout 2020. Unfortunately, 2021 so far hasn’t seen much changein this respect, and we have started the year in yet another national lockdown.
One of thethings that this has affected, is the all-important Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry is a British public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire which occurred on 14th June 2017 and very sadly killed 72 people.
The Inquirywas put on hold in early December due to an individual testing positive for Coronavirus,and hoped to resume at the beginning of 2021.
Earlier thisweek, however, we heard that the Grenfell Inquiry oral hearings have beentemporarily suspended due to the latest national lockdown and will not be goingahead on January 11th as planned.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry website states that this was a “difficult decision” to make, however, “the increase in transmissibility of the new variant of Coronavirus means that there is a significant increase in the risk of infection facing anyone who travels to and works at the Inquiry’s premises… In the current circumstances it is unreasonable to ask witnesses and Inquiry team staff to travel into a particularly high-risk area to attend the Inquiry.”
Whilst oralhearings have been temporarily suspended, the Inquiry team have said thatremote hearings hope to begin in February 2021.
More information on this can be found here.
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