Hearings at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry have been suspended until 11 January next year, after a member of the Inquiry team tested positive for covid-19.
Announcing the news at the end of yesterday’s (10 December) hearing, Inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick said: “I’m sorry to have to tell everyone that we learned earlier on today that one of the members of the Inquiry team has been tested positive for covid-19, and, as a result, a number of members of the Inquiry team and support staff are going to have to go into self-isolation for a couple of weeks.”
Moore-Bick said the reduction in staff numbers and support staff made it impossible for the Inquiry to continue.
Hearings had been due to continue next week before taking a break for Christmas, but the news meant that the Inquiry has now been closed down as of yesterday until the new year.
Moore-Bick said: “It’s extremely disappointing. I’m very sorry to have to give you all this news, but we feel there is nothing we can do to keep ourselves going in the interim.”
The Inquiry has been hearing evidence from Kingspan employees, who will now be expected to return in January.
