TODAY marks three years since the UK was first plunged into lockdown as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.

On March 23, 2020, the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation on the outbreak of Covid-19.

He instructed Brits: “From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home.”

At the time, we had ‘little idea’ about what to expect from the virus, says Cumbria’s Director of Public Health, Colin Cox.

“When we first went into lockdown three years ago, we had very little idea about what to expect in terms of the spread and impact of Covid-19,” said Mr Cox. “We knew it would be bad, but the estimates of how many people would be infected, and how many people might die, varied widely.

“I’m glad to say that for the most part the reality proved to be closest to our ‘best case’ scenario – as bad as it was, it could have been very much worse.”

Mr Cox praised the ‘phenomenal success’ of the coronavirus vaccination programme.

He said: “Three years on, Covid-19 is still with us - but of course with the phenomenal success of the vaccination programme and the availability of good treatments it’s very much less dangerous these days and we’re mostly able to live life as normal.

“However the long term impacts, including things like long Covid, are still being seen now and it will continue to take a long time for all of these to be resolved.”

Barrow and Furness MP Simon Fell reflected on that moment three years ago in which ‘the world got quite a lot smaller’ for everyone.

However he also saw the positives, with strong community bonds forming each day.

He said: “It’s hard to believe that it’s been three years since that fateful day.

“For each of us the world got quite a lot smaller, and we realised the small pleasures of life that were now unavailable.

“For many more, they felt real fear over what isolation meant for them and how they could cope, especially if they were vulnerable.

“I was incredibly fortunate in that period to also see the best in people.

“Across Furness remarkable groups sprang up, linking neighbours with neighbours, joining communities together, and making sure that - in spite of the bonds which had been broken - new ones could be formed. We really are fortunate to live in a place where those bonds of community are so strong.”