Looking back on a year like no other: when Covid hit the UK

It seems like ages ago, but for some it might feel like yesterday when we were suddenly obliged to live as in George Orwell’s 1984. We were effectively placed by the Government under house arrest – confined to living spaces. However, since the early stages of the pandemic, it was clear that many of those rules would (or could) change depending on individual social-economic status.

In March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared the UK’s first lockdown, urging the population to stay indoors to protect the NHS. Not too long after, Mr Johnson had to be hospitalised himself due to his own Covid-related health complications.

One year on, we are again in the middle of another lockdown – the third. The difference this time is that the sentiment of hope is growing in the UK, looking like things might be better soon due to the vaccination programme. The same is not happening in Europe or the rest of the world, limiting where we can go or aim to do in the coming months. Simultaneously, tensions are growing among the most developed countries that want to secure enough quantities of vaccines for their own populations.

A lot has changed, not only due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also because the UK has now left the EU. The pandemic aggravated many of the forecasted economic problems, as seen on the exports data available from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the food and beverage industry, goods, and many other sectors.

On top of that, there have been many irregularities in how the Government is managing the pandemic and has allocated considerable funds to companies with links to Tory donors. The High Court ruled that Health Secretary Matt Hancock acted unlawfully by failing to make a number of contracts for PPE public.

Sadly, the UK was among the countries with the highest casualties in the past year, both in Europe and worldwide.  At the same time, it has seen protests such as Black Lives Matter, calls to decolonise curricula in education and remove symbols of Empire. Most recently, demands for action on harassment and violence towards women has been sparked by the murder of Sarah Everard. The police response to a vigil for her has highlighted tensions over the new Policing Bill which, its critics argue, threatens people’s right to protest.

The latter lockdown finally had controlled the country border and the number of visitors.  Unfortunately, this adds up to the pandemic’s already negative impacts on the tourism, theatres, and hospitality sectors. Additionally, we can see through the windows of many closed stores that many of them are already empty for good, and many others will not be reopening either. The same applies to other small and medium-sized companies that will not return to their offices, opting to rent rooms in any of the many hubs for their occasional meetings. 

For some people, there is still this feeling that not much happened in their lives because of the restrictions. The reality is that a lot had changed, culminating in the deaths of approximately 126,000 people so far. And, despite the will for some positives, another fact is that it will take a few years or even decades for the UK economy to recover.

Nonetheless, in the middle of so much grief and uncertainty, we experience the same or even greater amount of goodness from people at all levels throughout the country. Starting from the fantastic NHS teamwork at the front of this battle through to the union of many scientists producing a range of vaccines to be used in such a short period of time, and through each individual initiative to make their and somebody else’s life easier throughout this challenging time.

The creative sector had found different ways to survive those worst months, and for some of those who were able to surrender to the anxiety and uncertainties, there were (and still are) a lot of material available online to help anyone who wishes to learn new things. From watching movies, theatre shows, to a vast range of webinars and workshops that kept people together via Zoom or any other available channels since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Hopefully, we soon will be able to get on with our lives again. It will never be the same as it was before. Nevertheless, it is a good opportunity for people to re-evaluate their options and needs in life. What is important to them, and how they can move forward now.

Click here to watch the 2020 Pandemic video.