What West Berkshire looked like as we went into the first Covid lockdown five years ago

Five years ago today (Sunday, March 23) the country went into its first national coronavirus lockdown.

Prime minister Boris Johnson gave a live televised address from Downing Street, announcing an initial three-week lockdown in an attempt to stop the virus from spreading.

There were just four reasons you could leave your home - to shop for essential items, as infrequently as possible; daily exercise, once a day, alone or with members of your household; a medical need; and to travel to and from essential work.

As an essential worker, our photographer Phil Cannings was able to capture what it was like for the district during those difficult months. You can scroll down to see a selection of his photos taken around West Berkshire that first week.

The second day of the lockdown, Tuesday, March 24, Newburytoday reported that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in West Berkshire had increased to 10, according to Public Health England statistics.

The first case in the district was reported on March 13.

People across West Berkshire went to their front doors and windows at 8pm on the Thursday of that same week to give a heartfelt round of applause for NHS staff working through the coronavirus pandemic.

In a show of unity during the lockdown crisis, households showed their appreciation for our health worker heroes across the country.

Home schooling and home working quickly became the norm in 2020, with council meetings also beginning to take place online.

The planned three-week lockdown lasted until the summer, with people who couldn't work from home allowed to return to offices from May and a phased reopening of schools to some year groups in June and July.

On November 5, a second national lockdown - lasting four weeks - came into force in England, followed by a third in January 2021 after tiered restrictions had been introduced before Christmas.

Schools returned in March that year, but in March 2022 some pupils returned to online learning as cases across the area continued to rise, causing staff shortages in schools.

As Newburytoday acknowledged the second anniversary of the start of the lockdown, the number of lab-confirmed coronavirus cases in West Berkshire stood at 44,777 – it had increased by 155 in the previous 24 hours.

Throughout the pandemic Newburtoday had been reporting the daily and then weekly totals of lab-confirmed coronavirus cases in West Berkshire.

The final update was given on August 17, 2022, when the number stood at 53,399. This comprised 50,870 first episodes and 2,529 reinfections.

By September that year, people entitled to flu or Covid-19 vaccines were being encouraged to get their jab as soon as possible amid fears that a 'twindemic' was going to strike the UK that winter.

Health officials were concerned the colder months would encourage a resurgence of Covid-19 just as the country's flu season took off, potentially wreaking havoc in the NHS which was still attempting to get services back on track after previous waves of coronavirus.

Earlier this month, as the country commemorated the fifth anniversary of the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, we looked at the thousands of trees now standing tall in memory of the West Berkshire residents who lost their lives.

The Lockdown Wood project, initiated during the first lockdown, has seen more than 2,500 saplings planted in five small memorial woods around the district, each dedicated to the memory of those lost during the pandemic and in hope of a brighter future for everyone.

If you would like to share your thoughts and memories of lockdown with us please email newsdesk@newburynews.co.uk