A year ago today, Britain got its first taste of lockdown life as bars, shops, gyms and restaurants were ordered to shut for at least 14 days, leaving the high streets deserted.
While the official nation-wide lockdown began on March 23, there was a sign of things to come two days prior after Boris Johnson forced certain businesses to close their doors.
The UK’s death toll jumped by 56, its deadliest day of the pandemic so far, bringing the total virus fatalities to 233.
One outbreak was linked to a church in the West Midlands where one congregant had been attending without realising they were carrying the virus.
Elsewhere, prescient scientists warned that social distancing could be in place for at least a year despite the prime minister claiming the tide could be turned within 12 weeks.
Today also marks the first anniversary of vaccine trials on humans and animals at Porton Down, starting the process which led to the creation of the successful Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.
TV tough guy Ant Middleton was forced to apologise for comments urging people to ‘get out there, don’t change’ during the pandemic, months before he was axed by Channel 4 for similar remarks about the virus and Black Lives Matter.
In Westminster, Tory backbenchers threatened to fight Boris Johnson’s emergency Covid laws by staging a rebellion.
But Britons were more concerned about a dwindling supply of food and loo roll as queues snaked around supermarket car parks amid the panicked stockpiling.
Abroad, a bombshell report claimed that Donald Trump had been ignoring CIA warnings about the pandemic for months.
Meanwhile Spain announced 324 new daily coronavirus deaths as the virus continued to sweep across EuropeHere, MailOnline continues its countdown of the days leading to the anniversary of the March 23 shutdown…
As of Saturday morning, the total number of confirmed cases in the UK hit 5,018 with 233 deaths
March 21, 2020: UK coronavirus death toll soars by 56 in a day to 233
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On this day last year, the UK’s coronavirus death toll skyrocketed by 56 bringing the total fatalities to 233, breaking the record for the worst 24 hours the country had seen yet.
The total deaths in England rose by 53. These included a 41-year-old who was then thought to be the youngest victim in Britain since the outbreak began.
The total number of confirmed cases in the UK hit 5,018.
March 21, 2020: Britain shuts down as pubs, cafes and gyms are ordered to close, leaving high streets deserted
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While the UK’s official country-wide lockdown did not begin until March 23, March 21, 2020, marked the first day of deserted high streets up and down the country.
Boris Johnson ordered a 14-day closure of public social centres like pubs and gyms and urged Britons to self-isolate to protect themselves and their loved ones.
High street stores closed their doors on the weekend – even though they were legally allowed to remain open – as people were spooked into voluntary self-isolation, remote work, and social distancing amid Covid-19 paranoia.
London seemed otherworldly as residents stayed clear of the city centre, including usually-bustling hotspots such as Waterloo Station, Oxford Street, and Leicester Square.
London seemed otherworldly as residents stayed clear of the city centre, including usually-bustling hotspots such as Waterloo Station, Oxford Street, and Leicester Square. Clockwise from top left: Oxford Street; Waterloo Station; New Bond Street; and Lakeside shopping centre
Stark pictures emerged of empty city centres and roads in Nottingham, Leicester, London and Southampton as people stayed at home. Pictured is the Westquay shopping centre in Southampton on March 21, 2020
Boris Johnson ordered a 14-day closure of public social centres like pubs and gyms and urged Britons to self-isolate to protect themselves and their loved ones. Pictured: a closed TK Maxx in Cardiff
March 21, 2020: Social distancing may last for a year, warn scientists
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With social distancing measures likely to remain in place for many more months, scientists giving the rules a 12-month timeline hardly seems surprising.
But on this day last year, when Covid paranoia was spreading rapidly and the life as we knew it came to a rapid end, an extended lockdown seemed like a worst-case scenario.
Britons woke up to the news that the Government’s top scientists feared social distancing would need to be in place for most of the year to prevent the coronavirus pandemic overwhelming hospitals.
They also said the more-strict policies – such as school closures, working from home and avoiding family and friends – would have to be enforced for ‘at least half the year’.
Britons woke up to the news that the Government’s top scientists feared social distancing would need to be in place for most of the year to prevent the coronavirus pandemic overwhelming hospitals. Pictured: Boris Johnson
March 21, 2020: Trials set to begin on British coronavirus vaccine in Porton Down
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On this day 12 months ago, it was announced that human and animal trials for a British vaccine against the coronavirus were set to begin at the Government’s secret science base Porton Down.
Scientists will test the drug – that is now known to be the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine – on animals at the Wiltshire base before trialling on humans one month later.
At the time, it was known that the drug was being made at Oxford University, but no more details were disclosed.
On this day 12 months ago, it was announced that human and animal trials for a British vaccine against the coronavirus were set to begin at the Government’s secret science base Porton Down (pictured)
March 21, 2020: Ant Middleton admits ‘mistake’ over pandemic comments
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SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton claimed his comments urging people to ‘get out there, don’t change’ amid the coronavirus crisis were a ‘mistake’.
The former solider took to Instagram earlier in the week to announce that he was continuing on with life as usual during the outbreak and ended his video recording with the terse statement: ‘F*** Covid-19.’
Middleton – who was a member of the British special forces – yesterday posted a video saying he was in a ‘bubble’ while filming a ‘secret project’ in New Zealand.
Middleton added: ‘And now I’ve come out of this bubble I’ve realised I’ve probably been a bit insensitive towards the magnitude, the scale, of the crisis that’s happening in the UK.’
March 21, 2020: Covid outbreak linked to church attended by worshipper who did not realise they were a carrier
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It was revealed that a Covid outbreak that killed 28 people in the West Midlands was linked to a church attended by a worshipper who did not realise they were a carrier.
The West Midlands alone had recorded 28 Covid-19 deaths since the pandemic began at that time.
Two of the fatalities have been connected to a church where a congregant had continued to attend services without realising they had been infected, it was reported.
A Covid outbreak that killed 28 people in the West Midlands was linked to a church attended by a worshipper who did not realise they were a carrier. Pictured: Empty New Street in Birmingham on March 21, 2020
The West Midlands alone had recorded 28 Covid-19 deaths since the pandemic began at that time. Pictured: Empty Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham on this day last year
Two of the fatalities have been connected to a church where a congregant had continued to attend services without realising they had been infected, it was reported. Pictured: Empty Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham on this day last year
March 21, 2020: MPs plan rebellion against Boris Johnson’s Covid laws plan
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Tory backbenchers were set to stage a rebellion against the Prime Minister’s plans to introduce emergency laws to help fight coronavirus, reports claimed.
It was revealed that David Davis – the former Brexit secretary – would table an amendment calling for the legislation, which could last for two years, to expire after one.
March 21, 2020: Hundreds of shoppers queue all around Tesco car park
Hordes of shoppers descended on supermarkets at the crack of dawn on March 21 last year in a desperate bid to stock up after weeks of coronavirus panic-buying cleared food aisles across the country.
Staggering scenes saw a queue of hundreds of people snake round a Tesco car park at 6am, and even spill out on to the streets of New Malden, London.
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Since the pandemic tightened its choke-hold on the UK, fears of lockdown fanned mass stockpiling as people braced to hunker down at home.
Pleas from the Government and retailers to consider other people and steer clear of panic-buying were largely ignored.
And those who exercised restraint were forced to flock to the supermarket well ahead of weekend opening times to guarantee they would not leave empty handed.
Individual stores took action to curb the number of products people could buy while police and private security were drafted in to stamp out ransacking of high-demand items such as toilet roll.
But still heartbreaking scenes of elderly people and exhausted frontline NHS staff standing helplessly beside empty shelves continued to flood social media.
This prompted chains including Sainsbury’s and M&S to set aside a golden hour where they can buy essentials before the masses stampede the store.
Hordes of shoppers descended on supermarkets at the crack of dawn on March 21 last year in a desperate bid to stock up after weeks of coronavirus panic-buying cleared food aisles across the country
Staggering scenes saw a queue of hundreds of people snake round a Tesco car park at 6am, and even spill out on to the streets of New Malden, London
People queuing up outside Tescos in Aldershot on March 21, 2020. Since the pandemic tightened its choke-hold on the UK, fears of lockdown fanned mass stockpiling as people braced to hunker down at home
March 21, 2020: And meanwhile, elsewhere in the world…
President Trump ignored CIA warnings about coronavirus pandemic for months, bombshell report claims
President Trump ignored warnings from US intelligence agencies about the threat of a coronavirus pandemic, according to a bombshell report in The Washington Post released on March 21, 2020.
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One intelligence official and several Trump Administration officials spoke to the publication on March 20 – on the condition of anonymity – claiming the President downplayed the Covid-19 threat in spite of growing anxiety from aides and members of his own cabinet throughout January and February.
‘Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but a lot of other people in the government were — they just couldn’t get him to do anything about it,’ one official stated, adding: ‘The system was blinking red.’
Officials were first alerted to reports about cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China on January 3, after a director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spoke with Chinese colleagues.
‘Ominous, classified warnings’ purportedly put together by the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence began to increase over the course of the month.
‘There was obviously a lot of chatter in January,’ one of the officials said.
Spain announces 324 new coronavirus deaths as number of cases rises to 24,926 in country
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Spain announced 324 new coronavirus deaths on March 21, 2020, while the number of cases in the country surged nearly 5,000 up to 24,926.
Spain’s Health Ministry said that Covid-19 deaths rose to 1,326 from 1,002 in the space of 24 hours.
The capital Madrid was the hardest hit in the country at that time, according to the tally reported by the ministry.