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The Story

Insight Investigation: The cost of a second late lockdown

The Story

The Times

Daily News Podcast, Exclusive Interviews, Daily News, Current Affairs, Global News, News, Investigative Reporting, Long-form Audio, In-depth Journalism, Audio Storytelling, News Analysis, Politics, Uk News

3.91.6K Ratings

🗓️ 14 December 2020

⏱️ 40 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Cameron Wellington, a teenager from Walsall, died on November 19th after catching coronavirus. He left a devastated family behind, but could lives like his have been saved if the UK’s second national lockdown had taken place earlier? The Sunday Times Insight team have published a major investigation into the government’s handling of the second wave, and the false dichotomy between saving the economy and saving lives. 


This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.


Read the Insight team's investigation here.


Guests:

Jane and Norman Wellington, parents of Cameron Wellington.

George Arbuthnott, Deputy Editor, Sunday Times Insight. 

Jonathan Calvert, Editor, Sunday Times Insight. 


Host: Manveen Rana.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Do you save lives the economy? For so much of this year government policy has felt like a tug of war between the two.

0:11.0

We must also acknowledge the stark reality of the economic and social impacts of another

0:19.0

national lockdown.

0:21.8

But for some families, the cost of not acting sooner has been unbearable.

0:26.5

They chose the economy of our people, down they.

0:29.4

They just are just the least, that's what it is.

0:32.4

In the past the figures are to the government.

0:34.4

They aren't even inside Cameron's name.

0:36.7

It'll be just a number. The government's got a lot to answer for.

0:40.9

You're listening to stories of our times from the Times and

0:44.6

the Sunday Times. I'm Manveen Rana. Today, an Insight investigation. Did the

0:51.3

second lockdown come too late?

0:54.0

We've got to late.

1:00.0

We've got six children, Cameron was the middle child.

1:07.0

That's Jane Wellington, and she's telling me about her son, Cameron.

1:11.0

If you've lost anyone to coronavirus, this may be a difficult listen.

1:16.0

Cameron was 19. He was really fun to be around, energetic. He was good at everything he tried. Really artistic as well. He was a nice

1:27.4

lad. He was a genuine lad. Cameron, who was the sportiest member of the family,

1:32.3

was at the start of his career as a professional wrestler.

1:36.0

He played a baddie in the wrestling, but it was that far from his real character.

1:42.0

He was really fun to be around he liked to watch his football he was on his computer

1:46.4

to his friends a lot he had a lot of time for his little brothers and sisters he was

...

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