This time a year ago the world watched on as we heard about a new contagious illness in China called Coronavirus, or Covid-19. We were told it came from someone eating a bat from a wet market in Wuhan. Life carried on as normal for the rest of the world for the next few weeks until the virus gradually spread around the entire world.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson started a 3 week lockdown on the evening of 23rd of March 2020 ๐ซ This was then extended on 16th April for a further 3 weeks
On the 5th April he was admitted to hospital after 10 days self isolating with the Corona Virus ๐งช
On the 6th April he is in intensive care with deteriorating symptoms ๐ท
The Queen addressed the nation at 8pm on 5th April ๐
USA President Donald Trump suggests injecting disinfectant could be a cure! ๐ ๐ณ Prompts warning statement from manufacturers not to do this!
Excel now known as NHS Nightingale and will be a hospital for up to 4,000 patients, most of whom are on ventilators. Similar venues being used in cities across the country. Opened by Prince Charles at 11am on 3rd April ๐ฅ
Community support groups established, to support the vulnerable, elderly, immunocompromised and people in enforced isolation due to exposure, in their community - told not to go out for 12 weeks๐ง๐ป๐ด๐ป
From Thursday 26th March at 8pm and every Thursday night thereafter, we all stood united on our doorsteps, balconies and open windows and applauded and cheered for all our amazingly brave NHS staff ๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ who so courageously and selflessly battled on to try and save as many lives as possible โค๏ธ
Petrol โฝ๏ธ price close to home ๐ก was ยฃ1.02. Was this an opportunity to go green, only time will tell.
Schools closed on Friday 20 March. ๐ซ Remote learning in place ๐
Self-distancing measures required โน๏ธ
Tape on the floors at grocery stores โ and others to help distance shoppers ๐ (2 mtrs) from each other.
Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors ๐ฌ
Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed ๐ซ People who can work ๐ฉ๐ปโ๐ป๐จ๐ปโ๐ป from home ๐ก
Parks ๐ trails, entire cities ๐ข closed or restricted to locals only in their bubble.
Entire sports โฝ๏ธ ๐ ๐พ seasons cancelled.
The Olympics & Paralympicโs, where athletes would have made their mark and additional Euro 2020 were postponed to 2021. ๐ตโฝ๏ธโซโฝ๏ธ๐ด
Concerts ๐ซ tours ๐ festivals ๐คน๐ป entertainment events ๐ญ cancelled ๐ซ
Weddings ๐ฐ๐ผ๐คต๐ป family celebrations ๐ฅณ holiday gatherings ๐จโ๐ฉโ๐ฆโ๐ฆ cancelled ๐ซ
Only very few people allowed to attend funerals & social distancing rules must be adhered to โฐ๏ธ ๐ข
No masses - churches โช๏ธ are closed ๐ซ
No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, then 10 or more. Now.... Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home bubble โ๏ธ
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and all other TV networks are on in every home daily now ๐ฌ
Children's outdoor play parks are closed ๐ก
We are to distance from each other. Shortage of masks ๐ท gowns ๐ฅผ gloves ๐งค for our front-line workers.
Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill ๐ค in many parts of the world.
Refrigerated trucks for the dead outside hospitals in the USA ๐บ๐ธ Italy ๐ฎ๐น Spain ๐ช๐ธ China ๐จ๐ณ and more. Temporary Morgues set up in the UK ๐ฌ๐ง
Panic buying ๐ sets in and we have limits on toilet paper ๐งป disinfecting supplies, paper towels, staple foods ๐ฅ hand sanitizer ๐งด Flour is hard to get because the packaging comes from China ๐จ๐ณ and borders are closed ๐ง
Manufacturers ๐ญ distilleries and other businesses ๐ข switch their lines to help make visors, masks ๐ท hand sanitizer ๐งด and PPE ๐งค
Fines are established for breaking lockdown rules ๐ค
Stadiums ๐ and recreation facilities overseas open up for the overflow of Covid-19 ๐ฆ patients.
Public Park ๐ areas turned into caravan parks for stranded tourists to self isolate ๐
Press conferences daily from the PM ๐ฑโโ๏ธ and other government ๐ officials. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths โฐ๏ธ
Government ๐ incentives to stay home. Barely anyone on the roads ๐ฃ
People wearing masks ๐ท and gloves outside ๐งค
Essential service workers are terrified to go to work ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฉ๐ปโโ๏ธ ๐ฒ๐ป
Medical field workers ๐ฉ๐ปโโ๏ธ are afraid to go home to their families ๐จโ๐งโ๐ฆ
A 99 year old WWII veteran Captain Tom Moore raised an amazing ยฃ29 million for NHS charities walking 100 lengths of his garden before he turned 100. His target was ยฃ1000. People from all over the world donated to his cause. ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ๐๐
๐ท
202,660 deaths globally so far as at 25th April 2020
20,319 of them in the UK ๐ข
53,418 in the USA
This is the Novel Coronavirus ๐ฆ (Covid-19) Pandemic, WHO declared March 11th, 2020.
Travel restrictions and having to quarantine for 2 weeks when returning from some foreign holiday destinations and this could change daily.
Three tiers of regional severity issued. Tier 1 Medium risk, tier 2 very high risk, tier 3 extremely high risk.
Second lockdown in UK November 2020 moving back into tier severity December 2020.
Vaccines arrive in UK in December - Army deployed to help vaccinate the public starting with the NHS and people over 80 years of age.
Pubs and restaurants still closed.
18th December 2020 - UK has had 1,948,660 cases to date, and 66,052 deaths related to covid-19. ๐ญ. Worldwide figures are 75,371,570 cases and 1,670,455 deaths.
Three households could form a temporary โChristmas bubbleโ to meet together indoors from 23-27 December ๐ซ cancelled plans!
19th December, PM announced tier 4 for London & the South East with Wales going into lockdown. A new mutation of the virus, 70% more transmissible๏ฟผ then the previous strain with 6 in 10 new cases, stops the UK for the festive period.
1 day of mixing on 25th December. No travelling between tiers 1 through to 4.
Why, you ask, do I write ๐ this status?
One day it will show up in my memory ๐ญ feed, and it will be a yearly reminder that life is precious and not to take the things we dearly love for granted ๐
We have so much! ๐๐ป
Be thankful. Be grateful ๐
Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone ๐ฅฐ
We are all one. This year woke the world up for the better! โค๐งก๐๐๐๐๐ค
What a crazy year 2020 turned into!! We now all wait anxiously to see what 2021 holds for us.