A British political commentator broke down in tears while describing the damage done to students in the United Kingdom, after the U.K. lifted its COVID-19 restrictions.
Speaking on GBNews’ “Dewbs & Co.” Wednesday evening, commentator and independent journalist Sophie Corcoran, who was a student during the pandemic, spoke about the lifting of restrictions in schools, specifically mask mandates, and described the hardships imposed on students by the restrictions.
“Honestly, this comes as a brilliant bit of happiness for me,” Corcoran said. “I don’t actually think I can stop smiling while I’m talking. It’s about time.” Corcoran told the panel she was most excited about the rescinding of the face mask requirement in schools. She argued against the imposition and efficacy of masks in schools, pointing out that the types of masks they were instructed to wear, which were not surgical “medical-grade face masks,” “would make no difference to transmission.”
Corcoran went on to explain the problems of face masks within the classroom. “There were teachers that were sitting there that would, you know, be yelling at the poor Year Sevens about their face masks more than they would be teaching them. Those shy kids that would sit at the back of the class, that would never speak, it was a massive barrier to them, to impact their learning. They were already terrified, didn’t want to speak out, and now they’ve got another barrier to engage in their learning.”
Corcoran also said that simple social interactions were also difficult. “Communication problems were impossible. Most of the time we were in school we took them off because we couldn’t hear each other — they couldn’t hear us, we couldn’t hear them.”
“You’re in schools to learn,” she said. “And the damage that they have done to my generation has been unbelievable … the damage they’ve done to the rest of our lives, to our education.”
Asked to elaborate on what she meant, Corcoran recounted how in August of last year, she “literally watched [her] future crumble right in front of my eyes” because COVID forced her final exams twice. It was at this point that she began to break down. “They literally ruined our lives,” she said, holding back tears. “And nobody spoke about it at all. And the commentators, they had [teachers’] union reps come on and say ‘this is what the schools should have put in place,’ and they didn’t care about what this did to us [students].”
“I literally watched and felt like my entire life was falling apart because of what [the UK] government did to young people,” she said. “And nobody cares. Not one person has cared about children in this pandemic. … The damage just is done. For us, it’s forever. And we’ll never get it back.”
‘I watched and felt like my entire life was falling apart because of what this government did to young people.’
Welcoming the removal of face coverings in schools, political commentator Sophie Corcoran breaks down as she recalls her experience of wearing a mask in the classroom. pic.twitter.com/kEmzpS23UY
— GB News (@GBNEWS) January 20, 2022
Corcoran elaborated on her position on Twitter. “Face masks in class are gone. I just want to say a huge thank you to @UsforThemUK for all the work they have done to relentlessly fight for students education and give them a voice that at the beginning of the pandemic, we didn’t have,” she tweeted shortly before her appearance.
Face masks in class are gone. I just want to say a huge thank you to @UsforThemUK for all the work they have done to relentlessly fight for students education and give them a voice that at the beginning of the pandemic, we didn’t have
— Sophie Corcoran (@sophielouisecc) January 19, 2022
“I will never forget the sheer dread and hopelessness I felt when the schools closed, it felt like life was falling apart,” she tweeted in response to a clip of the broadcast. “Sorry for crying but people need to understand the damage it did.”
can’t believe I just cried on national TV. I always Promised myself if never do that, But I will never forget the sheer dread and hopelessness I felt when the schools closed, it felt like life was falling apart.
Sorry for crying but people need to understand the damage it did https://t.co/yzJWq7zeBj— Sophie Corcoran (@sophielouisecc) January 19, 2022
“I feel like young people have been silenced this pandemic,” she added. “We were ignored and people always spoke for us but against us. I felt like it was necessary to show people the damage it has done.”
I feel like young people have been silenced this pandemic. We were ignored and people always spoke for us but against us. I felt like it was necessary to show people the damage it has done. I don’t cry often. But I needed to be clear with this.
— Sophie Corcoran (@sophielouisecc) January 19, 2022
The United Kingdom announced Wednesday that it was lifting most of its COVID restrictions, as The Daily Wire reported. In addition to lifting the mask mandate in schools, Britain will rescind its mask mandate for public transportation and stores, work-from-home restrictions, and vaccine passports. Self-isolation requirements will expire on March 24.