More than 5 years since lockdown: Reflections on our lockdown experience
This article was written by one of our Young Reporters, a scheme that gives 14 to 18-year-old school students a chance to write for a real newspaper. Find out more at the Young Reporter website.
Covid-19 (also known as Coronavirus) began in March 2020 and was one of the most deadly epidemics in the world. Covid-19 became the third leading cause of death in 2020 with an estimated 345k deaths.
How did the pandemic change lives?
In March 2020 deaths because of Covid were on the rise and a “lockdown” was issued. This meant that citizens all across the country had to stay in their homes until this rule was lifted.
The pandemic had a widespread impact on society, where mental and physical health were impacted, education and economic stability were all affected.
The Impact on Economic Stability
The damage on the economic stability in the UK during the pandemic was incredibly difficult for citizens as it meant that many would lose their jobs due to redundancy, this caused a rise in unemployment where 1.3 million people lost their jobs during March 2020- Jan 2021
Impact on Health
Covid-19 not only had a significant impact on mental health, but it also had an impact on mental health as well.
A survey by the mental health charity Mind UK stated that ⅓ (estimate) of adults and young people said that their mental health got much worse since March 2020. Additionally, 58% of people started receiving benefits and ⅕ adults did not seek help because they didn’t think the problem was serious enough.
Impact on Families
Families were also affected due to the pandemic
Anna Lee, a teacher from The Reach Free School in Mill End was interviewed on how she and her family were affected by the lockdown. She reflects on her experiences as well as her emotions during the pandemic.
Interviewer: What was your reaction when the lockdown was announced?
AL: “I think that the first lockdown in 2020 just felt like an extended holiday because the weather was so nice”
“However my kids could not visit their dad because his partner was vulnerable”
I: How did it feel to go out again?
AL: I remember going to the theatre and feeling really emotional about people being there, it was really lovely to see everyone there sharing the same experience”
More than 765 million confirmed infections were recorded worldwide and vaccines became the major turning point.
After being one of the most deadly infections in the world in May 2023 the WHO declared an end to the public health emergency.
