The UK government’s leaders initially believed that it was among the best-prepared governments for a pandemic. By June 2020, the outcome of the collision between the government’s initial confidence, on the one hand, and the aggressiveness and virulence of COVID-19, on the other, was evident. The UK had one of the worst COVID-19 mortality rates in the world. This article explores the UK government’s response to COVID-19 from a public administration and governance perspective. Using factual information and statistical data, it considers the government’s preparedness and strategic decisions, the delivery of the government response, and public confidence in the government.

Points for practitioners

Possible lessons for testing through application include:

1. Use the precautionary principle to set planning assumptions in government strategies to create the possibility of government agility during a pandemic.

2. Use central government’s leadership role to facilitate and enable local initiative and operational responses, as well as to take advantage of local resources and assets.

3. Choose smart government responses that address tensions between the goal of saving lives and other government goals, and beware choices that are unsatisfactory compromises.

中文翻译：

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公共治理，敏捷性和流行病：以英国对COVID-19的回应为例

英国政府领导人最初认为，它是大流行病防范最充分的政府之一。到2020年6月，一方面政府最初的信心与另一方面COVID-19的侵略性和毒力之间的冲突显而易见。英国的COVID-19死亡率是世界上最糟糕的国家之一。本文从公共管理和治理的角度探讨了英国政府对COVID-19的回应。它使用事实信息和统计数据来考虑政府的准备和战略决策，政府对策的交付以及公众对政府的信心。

从业人员要点

通过应用程序进行测试的可能课程包括：

1. 使用预防原则在政府战略中设定计划假设，以在大流行期间创造政府敏捷性的可能性。

2. 发挥中央政府的领导作用，以促进和促进地方的主动行动和行动，并利用地方的资源和资产。

3. 选择明智的政府应对措施，以解决挽救生命的目标与其他政府目标之间的紧张关系，并提防不能令人满意的妥协选择。