'Communities, care homes and Covid': Five years on since Bolton locked down
Last Sunday officially marked the fifth anniversary of a day when everyone's lives in Bolton and across the UK were irrefutably changed beyond belief.
The then Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first UK-wide coronavirus lockdown on 23 March 2020.
The order came into place immediately and was then made legally effective just three days later from Thursday, March 26, 2020.
Every person in the UK had to comply with a list of measures including staying at home except for very limited purposes, certain businesses and venues had to close and no more gatherings were allowed of more than two people in public.
An empty Bolton town centre (Image: Martini Archive) In Bolton the community pulled together to battle the virus after infection rates soared.
This included members of Bolton Council to vital frontline healthcare workers, army troops that supported medics, residents and selfless volunteers.
Bolton Council cabinet member for health and wellbeing Cllr Jackie Schofield said: 'As a key worker, clinician and staff representative during the Covid-19 pandemic my thoughts are with everyone who was impacted at the time as well as those who continue to be impacted by the effects of the pandemic.
'It was a difficult time, and the effects still continue to this day, we continue to thank brave key workers who kept Bolton's community safe.'
Elderly residents in care homes were among the most vulnerable to the spreading coronavirus.
Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Andy Morgan, himself a care home owner, says that the way people across the community responded was key to tackling the virus.
He said: "Reflecting on the past five years since the Covid-19 lockdown, it's clear that Bolton, like many communities, faced immense challenges but also showed remarkable resilience.
"Our businesses, schools and community organisations adapted quickly, and the spirit of solidarity across the town was truly inspiring.
"While the pandemic tested us in many ways, it also highlighted Bolton's strength, innovation and the willingness of people to come together in support of one another."
The lockdown was five years ago today. (Image: Martini Archive) It was on March 23 that The Bolton News reported the borough's first death relating to Covid-19, as a patient in their 70s who had underlying health issues succumbed to the virus at the Royal Bolton Hospital.
Across the UK, just under 227,000 people died who had the virus listed as a cause of death – with more than 16,000 fatalities in Scotland.
The lasting impact of the pandemic is still felt today, with campaigners have also warned years of austerity made the UK dangerously underprepared for Covid-19 and that any additional spending cuts would leave the country even more vulnerable to the next pandemic.
READ MORE:
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has been set up to examine the UK's response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and learn lessons for the future.
Council Leader Cllr Nick Peel said: "Lockdown was an extremely difficult time for people across Bolton and beyond.
"Bolton went through more disruption than most other places, as the town had its own separate lockdowns.
"It was difficult and my heart goes out to those who did not have the adequate space during this period of time.
"But it did bring the community together, along with Bolton's network of community and voluntary groups who worked together to ensure that vulnerable people felt less alone during such a turbulent period."
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