Two years on: Lockdown's long legacy

The final pints were sunk with a resigned sigh.

And the once-bustling offices emptied.

March 23, 2020, is a date that will live long in the collective memory of our city.

The use of face masks became widespread across Norwich in a bid to stop the spread of Covid (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

There had been warnings and hints from Number 10 for days. And a directive to avoid public places had been delivered.

But speaking to officials working in Downing Street in the frantic weeks of late February and early March the message was clear: We won't lockdown.

In fact I was corrected on numerous occasions when calling it a "lockdown" while in conversation with government staff.

Boris Johnson and his cabinet desperately did not want to close the country down.

But finally there was no choice.

Death rates were leaping and, of course, at that stage there was no clear road map to tackle coronavirus.

Looking back on the early days of the outbreak and subsequent lockdown a source who worked in government at the time told the Evening News: "There wasn't panic - that's not the right way to describe it.

"People were scared. Just like the general public were. But more than anything there was a sense that we really had to get these decisions right.

"There were so many things in play. And it is was clear that every decision would have far-reaching consequences.

"We didn't want to refer to it as a 'lockdown' at first because frankly it sounded like something out of an apocalyptic Hollywood movie.

"But it the end it was clear what the direction of traffic was. People were dying and not locking down would have made it worse. I strongly believe that.

Drive-through testing facilities opened across the city including at Carrow Road. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

"Could we have locked down earlier? Should we have? I think the government acted on the information it had and I can assure people that every one was working flat out to get it right."

Those first days after the world seemed to stop were eerie. The city became a ghost town. Not only was everything closed but people were mandated to stay indoors for 23 hours of the day.

Norwich felt like a police state. And all this had happened so quickly that there was a palpable sense of shock in the city.

Business bosses were left with a conundrum: Should they stand still and hope furlough would save them, or pivot and continue to trade?

For the bigger firms based in Norwich the initial problem was how to ensure hundreds of staff could work from home. And for those that didn't have IT that was up to standard there needed to be expenditure and training.

One city firm had planned to roll out video meeting training to all staff by the end of the 2020 - by the beginning of April everyone was up to speed with the new tech.

And the pandemic also pressed fast forward on the work-from-home revolution. Offices will never be as full as they once were.

For smaller firms many decided to change. And some never went back.

The desire and stoicism of those business owners and their staff must never be underestimated.

When the lockdown hit I predicted a raft of closures. I was, happily, wrong.

Our city refused to stop. Norwich refused to shut down. We just found a safe way around the restrictions.

And now, two years on, I believe we are in many ways stronger for the horrors of the pandemic.

When lockdown eased and sun came out in the summer of 2020 folks wandering by the river or in the parks started saying "hi". There was a relief and a camaraderie. There was a palpable feeling of togetherness.

That remains.

So far 255 people from Norwich have lost their lives to Covid. The killer might not be as potent as it was but the virus is still stalking our streets.

For those who have suffered - the victims, the bereaved, those who lost jobs, the children who missed school - we owe it to move on and more forward.

This city wasn't beaten by the plague.

And when the skies were dark with Nazi bombers we cleared up and carried on.

And history will recall how after two years of death, illness and lockdowns Norwich rose again.