Marking two years since the UK went into a historic lockdown

This week marked the two year anniversary since the UK was plunged into the first lockdown.

It was on January 31 2020 that the first two coronavirus cases were confirmed in the UK and just weeks later on March 4 a woman in her 70s with underlying health conditions became the first person to die with Covid in the UK.

On March 11 2020 the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic, and on March 18 an indefinite closure of schools was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with GCSE and A-level exams cancelled.

But despite the PM’s optimism that UK could ‘turn the tide’ of the disease in 12 weeks, the first UK-wide lockdown was announced on March 23, 2020, and the furlough scheme introduced by Rishi Sunak to protect jobs. All non-essential shops and businesses were closed and what seemed extraordinary quickly became daily life, with everyone staying indoors except for rare trips out for supplies, and a chance to get outside for an hour of daily exercise.

Our hard-pressed NHS workers and carers became our heroes, and we stood outside to clap for them.

Isolation and loneliness quickly became a real concern but it was wonderful to see so many people in our towns and villages come together to support the vulnerable members of our communities.

Sadly many of us have lost loved ones - latest figures show that 295 people in the Horsham district have died since the start of the pandemic, with Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate as one of the causes.

So much has changed that while we are returning to normal life, is it still the ‘new normal’ rather than the one we left behind in 2019.

The Covid memorial unveiled in Horsham this week will give us all a space to visit, remember and reflect. We thank Freeman Brothers for commissioning it, and J. Gumbrill Monumental Masons for creating the piece.

What do you think has changed for the better or worse in the past two years? Share your thoughts with us by emailing ct.news@jpimedia.co.uk