From shock early reports in China to the lockdown and our PM in hospital
‘Wet’ market in Wuhan, China
The first person to die from the virus is identified as a 61-year-old man living in Wuhan who had “severe” underlying health issues.
SHOCK Medics wheeling a patient into the Jinyintan hospital in Wuhan
First signs of the virus spreading emerge as cases reported in Beijing, Shenzhen, Thailand and Japan.
JANUARY 22, 2020 Wuhan goes into travel lockdown with outbound flights and trains banned, and bus routes closed.
JANUARY 24, 2020 Health Secretary Matt Hancock chairs the Government’s first Cobra meeting on coronavirus and later insists the threat to the UK is “low”.
JANUARY 26, 2020
The Foreign Office tells Britons living in Wuhan to leave if they can.
JANUARY 28, 2020
The death toll passes 100.
JANUARY 30, 2020
The WHO declares the coronavirus outbreak a global emergency.
JANUARY 31, 2020
The first people in the UK – two members of the same family – test positive for coronavirus. Britons arriving on flights from Wuhan are taken into quarantine.
FEBRUARY 2, 2020
The first coronavirus death outside of China is confirmed, in the Philippines.
FEBRUARY 11, 2020 Deaths in mainland China pass 1,000. The WHO says the disease caused by coronavirus will be called Covid-19.
FEBRUARY 22, 2020
The first deaths are reported in Italy, leading to lockdown measures in the north of the country.
FEBRUARY 24, 2020
The WHO says the planet must prepare for a coronavirus pandemic. The FTSE 100 hits a new 13-month low, with the leading companies having £150billion wiped off their value in four days.
FEBRUARY 28, 2020
A passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan becomes the first Briton to die from the virus.
FIRST BRIT Passenger on cruiser
MARCH 5, 2020
A woman in her 70s dies at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, the first person in the UK to die with coronavirus.
MARCH 10, 2020
The Cheltenham Festival, attracting 240,000 spectators over four days, goes ahead despite concerns about spreading the virus. Health Minister Nadine Dorries becomes the first British politician to test positive for Covid-19.
Coronavirus is declared a pandemic by the WHO. US President Donald Trump announces a ban on travellers from Europe, except the UK. Hollywood star Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson say they are infected and are being treated in an Australian hospital. Some 3,000 Atletico Madrid fans attend their side’s Champions League game against Liverpool at Anfield – despite Spain’s severe coronavirus outbreak.
MARCH 12, 2020
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tests positive for coronavirus.
MARCH 13, 2020 Top-level football is suspended in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Some European countries begin to ban public gatherings.
MARCH 14, 2020
Trump extends travel ban to those arriving from the UK and Ireland.
MARCH 17, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveils £330billion package to help ailing businesses furlough staff. schools and nurseries will close after March 20. Only vulnerable kids and those whose parents are key workers will be allowed to attend. Glastonbury, due to be headlined by Sir Paul McCartney, is cancelled.
Pubs and restaurants across the country are ordered to close from midnight. Schools also close their doors.