The UK did not impose blanket or rigorous border controls at the onset of the covid-19 pandemic as compared to other countries, particularly in East and South East Asia.140 Instead, the UK implemented light-touch border controls only on countries and regions where there was a recorded high incidence rate. While the UK initially focused on China, Iran, South Korea and Italy, a significant number of cases came from elsewhere. A 131 Oral evidence taken before the Science and Technology Committee on 16 July 2020, HC (2019–21) 136, Q1079 132 GOV.UK, SAGE 16, 16 March 2020 133 Oral evidence taken before the Science and Technology Committee on 16 July 2020, HC (2019–21) 136, Q1079 134 Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team, Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand, 16 March 2020 135 Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team, Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand, 16 March 2020 136 For example, see: Financial Times, ‘The shocking coronavirus study that rocked the UK and US’ 137 GOV.UK, SPI-M-O: consensus view on behavioural and social interventions, 16 March 2020 138 See paragraph 91. 139 GOV.UK, SAGE 15, 13 March 2020 140 For example, on 28 January 2020, all inbound travellers from Wuhan were subject to isolation; from 26 February 2020, Singapore banned all arrivals from Cheongdo and Daegu in South Korea; from 3 February 2020, Hong Kong began to close border crossing posts. 40 Coronavirus: lessons learned to date study found that 33% of cases during the first wave were introduced from Spain and 29% were introduced from France.141 The number of seeding events that occurred early in the pandemic, coupled with the lack of data, made the lockdown almost inevitable.