This week marks three years since the UK went into lockdown as a result of the Covid pandemic.
Looking back, it seems such a distant memory, even though the pandemic is still ongoing.
At home, we had been preparing for the worst for a month.
My mum was health and safety manager for a national organisation, and had been keeping track of an influenza outbreak, which would later be named Covid-19.
We’d stocked up on pasta and other items in our downstairs cupboard by the time lockdown hit.
I remember feeling a bit of anxiety initially. But all of my work was online and I already worked from home. So it wasn’t as much of a shift for me as it was for other people.
The weather was gorgeous in those early days and my brother and I took advantage of it by going out walking.
It was a great way to try to forget about what was going on in the world.
On Thursdays, we clapped for carers, and every day we gave silent thanks for the frontline workers protecting us from the pandemic, from the NHS staff to the postal workers, bus drivers and cleaners.
My pride in Dundee Culture Covid updates
I wanted to use my Dundee Culture platform to reassure people that things were going to be ok, and with inspiration from my mum, I created the “Stay Safe Dundee” campaign.
Initially, I posted the latest guidance, and specifically how it related to Dundee, as well as information on what was open and what was closed.
🦠 COVID-19 WEEKLY BRIEFING: 18-24 AUGUST 2021
Positive cases: 496 / ⬆️ 285
7-day per 100k: 333.3 / ⬆️ 191.5
7-day test positive rate: 10.2% / ⬆️ 4.6%
Number of deaths: 0 / ➖
Hospital patients: 14 / ⬇️ 2
Patients in ICU: 0-5 / ➖
Cases in neighbourhoods: 31 / ⬆️ 4 pic.twitter.com/pCtqNHw713— Dundee Culture (@DundeeCulture) August 24, 2021
I also created weekly briefings, breaking down the numbers of cases in the Dundee neighbourhoods using Public Health Scotland and NHS Tayside as a source for information.
I kept it up for 79 consecutive weeks and as the weeks rolled on, more and more people came to visit Dundee Culture.
My aim was to spread a positive message during the pandemic, and it will go down as one of my proudest achievements.
Be glad you’re here to see Dundee return to the way it was pre-Covid
Covid is still here but Dundee is seeing a shift back to normality this year.
It feels like we are continuing where we left off, with the city hosting Big Weekend in May.
The BBC Radio 1 festival was originally planned for 2020.
The waterfront and city centre redevelopment has been on hold, along with several other projects.
But activity is picking up again and we are getting back to ensuring Dundee continues to be a city of change.
But Covid has made a mark on the city and we cannot overlook that.
We sadly lost more than 500 Dundonians to the disease over the course of the pandemic. And each and every one should be remembered, especially on the National Day of Reflection this Thursday.
It is an important day. An occasion to mark with kindness and gratitude.
We should give thanks for where we are today, because a lot of people weren’t so lucky.
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