The first Covid-19 lockdown in the UK was back in 2020
The first Covid-19 lockdown in the UK was back in 2020
Five years since coronavirus changed life as we knew it, we’ve asked the people of Merseyside for their views on that extraordinary time. On this day in 2020, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation and ordered people to stay at home.
From there a strict lockdown was enforced, banning gatherings of more than two people and strict limits on exercise. People were only allowed outside to exercise once a day, to travel to work if absolutely necessary or to buy food or medications.
In the end there would be three lockdowns, with a second being enforced in November 2020 and a third beginning in January 2021. Millions of us were stuck at home finding new routines, while others saw their jobs change forever or found themselves furloughed or without work.
Wearing masks while staying two meters apart also became part of daily life and our streets were empty with non essential businesses and areas closing overnight. Across Merseyside and beyond, our hospital wards were filled with patients who tested positive for the virus, as doctors nurses and staff worked tirelessly to help those in need, facing capacity issues and equipment shortages.
Now five years on we’re reflecting on the pandemic and asked for your views in our Reach lockdown survey. The survey, shared at the beginning of the month, was taken by more than 15,000 readers across the UK.
The survey shows how people feel about different aspects of the government’s response to the pandemic. The results found that Reach readers still believe the country was right to go into lockdown.
But opinions did vary depending on where participants lived and which of our titles they responded to. When asked should the UK have gone into lockdown to deal with Covid-19, 64% of ECHO readers participating said yes.
The overall survey found that just under two thirds (61%) of respondents felt the country was right to have gone into lockdown five years ago, with 39% saying it was the wrong decision. Only one in seven (14%) people across the country felt that lockdown happened at the right time, however and just under half (49%) felt lockdown should have happened sooner.
However, the country was more divided on whether or not schools should have been kept open. For Liverpool, it was a close result, with 59% responding yes and 41% responding no.
Just over half (53%) of respondents across the UK said that the government was right to close schools and that sentiment was strongest in Wales (55%) and England (54%). People taking the survey also had the option to select up to three emotions they felt during lockdown and the most commonly selected were isolated (38% of respondents) and anxious (37%).
Just under a third (29%) said they felt angry, around a quarter of respondents (26%) said they felt safe, a fifth (21%) were reassured, and 19% said they felt vulnerable. Lockdown seemed to suit around one in every eight people though, with 12% saying they felt content.
For Liverpool ECHO readers, 38% selected isolated, 40% selected anxious, 31% said they felt angry, 25% said they felt safe, 18% were reassured, 19% said vulnerable and only 13% were content. Throughout the pandemic, lockdown rules changed and varied depending where you lived.
When asked did you agree with the lockdown rules placed on where you live, 43% of Liverpool respondents said no and 57% said yes. In our results, the country seems united in the belief we won’t be going into lockdown again.
Well over half (58%) said they don’t think there will be another lockdown. For Liverpool, 61% agreed.
More than one in every four people surveyed say they still wear a mask and a quarter said they sometimes wear one, with another 2% saying they wear one whenever they’re not at home. In regards to our National Health Service, people overwhelmingly feel the NHS has not recovered from the pandemic.
Just over three quarters (76%) said it hasn’t, with just 8% believing it has. The survey also asked if participants are worried about a future pandemic. When it comes to Liverpool, 48% said no, 43% said yes and (five responded that they didn’t know.)