On 23 March 2020, more than 27 million people in the UK were glued to their TV screens as prime minister Boris Johnson gave a once-in-a-lifetime address. Looking directly at the camera, he told the nation: "You must stay at home."

But behind this firm message, the UK government was divided over its response to Covid-19. Other countries had already locked down, but Johnson had resisted the move.

Some of his ministers thought this was madness. More than 3,000 cases of Covid-19 had already been detected in the UK. If the virus continued to spread at this rate, the NHSThe National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948. would be overwhelmed.

But many Conservative members felt the lockdowns were a betrayal of their core principles. Some suspect that is why Rishi Sunak¹ has announced that he had opposed lockdown behind the scenes.

Others who were working in Downing Street10 Downing Street, in central London, has been the official home of the UK prime minister since 1735. at the time have dismissed Sunak's claim. But the controversy has reignited the row over whether or not the lockdowns were worth it.

Critics of lockdowns point out the huge damage that they did to people's lives. At the start of this year, 22,500 people had been waiting more than two years for routine surgery.

It is estimated that small businesses altogether lost £126.6 billion as a result of the lockdown, and many were forced to close.

Education took one of the biggest hits. Children missed lessons and had to rely on homeschooling. Two whole school years could not have their exams fairly graded.

But others think this is all irrelevant. Without the lockdown, they argue, the NHS would have collapsed. People would not have dared go for surgery, or even to restaurants and bars, for fear of catching the virus. Courts and schools would still have slowed to a stop as lawyers and teachers were knocked out by the virus. The effects would have been the same.

Yes: Without lockdowns, the healthcare system would have been overwhelmed. All other impacts pale in comparison with that. For the UK to be unable to provide healthcare to its citizens is simply unthinkable.

No: We cannot know for sure that hospitals would have been overwhelmed without a lockdown. And even if the short-term damage had been greater, it would have been better in the long run.

Or... Other countries, like South Korea², limited the spread of Covid with more targeted measures. The UK could have avoided lockdowns and controlled the virus if the government had developed a working test and trace system.

NHS - The National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948.

Downing Street - 10 Downing Street, in central London, has been the official home of the UK prime minister since 1735.