19 Mar Five years on since COVID-19 lockdowns began

FIVE years ago, a dark shadow was creeping towards the Bay, and we watched helplessly as COVID-19 spread across Europe.

Some braced, some prayed, but none of us knew what to expect when word spread that a group of skiers had returned to Torbay from Italy, unwittingly bringing the potentially deadly virus with them.

Luckily, we were ahead of the curve, and as a result, we already had the Torbay Community Coronavirus Helpline up and running using the expertise of a handful of organisations from the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise sector (VCSE).

The Helpline, which is still running today on 01803 446022, was an initial coming together of Torbay Communities, the then Ageing Well Torbay project, Brixham Does Care, Age UK Torbay and Citizens Advice Torbay.

On March 23, 2020, we went into lockdown or put another way, Britain closed. Borders closed, schools closed, pubs closed. All but essential workplaces were also closed. But for many of us, it was the start of the busiest time of our lives.

We learned to use the word unprecedented. A lot.

Supermarket shelves were emptied as households hunkered down, not knowing how long they would be kept indoors and communities across Torbay rallied to support their neighbours, friends and even strangers.

Looking back at that time, we were reacting on the hoof, none of us knew what tomorrow might bring, but we knew we had to do something and we turned to our resilient communities for help and support

And they did not disappoint. In this column, I wrote at the time: “The authorities, including those at the sharp end in the NHS and public health, are doing a fantastic job, but they can’t do it all, and they can’t do it by themselves. They need our help.

“We have some very strong communities across Torbay, but some are less so, and we have to stop to consider what we mean by a community. In this case, we have to think small; we have to think local; we have to think within yards of our doorsteps.

“We were more unlucky than most in the Bay, with some of the earliest cases of coronavirus being discovered in people returning from Northern Italy, causing the temporary closure of Churston Ferrers School and doctor’s surgeries in Chelston.

“But it meant that the very real threat was brought home in very clear terms, very early on, and some people that we have come across, are scared and stressed.

“Already, we are aware through our community builders that some people are self-isolating for fear of contracting the virus, particularly those that already have an underlying condition that would be exacerbated.

“Some of them may not even have had the chance to tell their friends and neighbours what they were planning and may be in need of top-up supplies being delivered to their door.”

The fightback began then and there, and we pulled together a veritable army of volunteers, all prepared to risk the unknown consequences of queueing for food and sometimes life-saving medications as queues snaked around the block outside supermarkets and pharmacies.

Telephone befrienders were ringing those in danger of becoming lonely and isolated. People spoke fondly of a wartime spirit and the hashtag TorbayKind began trending on social media.

Face masks and surgical gloves became the must-wear fashion of the day, the roads emptied of all but first responders, and we all marvelled at the sounds of birdsong on brief, Government-sanctioned daily walks.

We lived by the mantra, Catch it, Bin it, Kill it. We washed our hands incessantly and kept our distance from everyone else wherever possible.

For some, it was the best of times, for others, not least those who succumbed to the virus it was the worst of times and the death toll continued to climb, seemingly unstoppable. Health service staff, especially those at Torbay Hospital were inundated.

That word again, unprecedented.

How quickly we forget. Can it really be five years ago already when some cowered in their own homes, thousands lost their jobs and were plunged into poverty? Businesses went bust, lives were changed.

In the first column, written back in March 2020, I concluded by saying: “People need each other more today than they have for many years and it will test the connections that have been eroded. Hopefully, the traditions are strong and they can be restored when they are most needed. Now.”

More next week…