Looking back two years after first Isle of Wight Covid lockdown

It followed a staggering rise in cases of Covid-19 - a virus we had barely heard of.

At 8pm, on March 23, 2020, an emergency message was broadcast by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

He announced the immediate closure of "all shops selling non-essential goods" and banned gatherings of more than two people in public.

Read more: Isle of Wight Council hands out free Covid tests: Where and when

Lockdown came just 19 days after the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed on the Island.

One year later, on March 23, 2021, a minute's silence was held at midday.

At 8pm, we shone lights from our doorsteps, as we reflected on the year that had been.

• Read more: 'Beacon of light' Covid song released by Mountbatten choir

​Mountbatten said 'One Day Soon' is a song of hope.

How did the Isle of Wight County Press report the first Covid lockdown?

The first County Press issue after the March 2020 lockdown was published on Friday, March 27.

On that day, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust reported the number of Island Covid-19 cases had risen from three to eight.

The County Press ran a #ThereForYou campaign, pledging to stand with the Island's community – particularly local businesses – to try to get through the Covid crisis.

Isle of Wight Festival organisers cancelled their 2020 event, which has been due to be headlined by Lionel Richie, Lewis Capaldi and Duran Duran.

• Read more: Milestones in the year since we first went into lockdown

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Islanders across the globe frantically tried to get back home, including County Press columnist Richard Wright and former features writer Kate Cranwell who were trapped in Kathmandu, Nepal.

We also met Ryde couple Julie Binnington and Robin Frape, who made it back to London after being stranded in Georgia.

Karen Penn, Ben Sampler and their 11-year-old daughter Mariella faced being turfed out onto the streets of India. MP Bob Seely took the matter up with the Foreign Office.

Ben Attrill, a young sportsman from Sandown, was trying to make it home from Australia, meanwhile and Lauren Bromley from Freshwater was trying to get back from Fiji, where she had been volunteering for a scheme backed by the Fijian government.

Meanwhile, the Church of England advised only five people could attend wedding ceremonies. One couple, Mollie Tredwell and Dan Toogood postponed their wedding as a result.

Since then, the Island has seen 36,046 confirmed coronavirus cases and 398 deaths, but shops, cinemas, sports facilities and other venues have reopened.

Where are we at with Covid, two years on?

Since February 24, people in England are not legally required to self-isolate after testing positive for Covid-19, however the government is advising us to stay at home if we can, avoiding contact with other people.

It also ended its financial support scheme - the Test and Trace Support Payments - but claims for self-isolation before that date can still be made, until April 6.

People who are in close contact with those who have tested positive are not legally required to take daily tests, or to self-isolate.

Since March 18, travellers have not needed to take Covid-19 tests, or fill in a passenger locator form, when travelling to the UK from abroad.

From April 1, under Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Live with Covid plan, most of us will have to pay for lateral flow tests and PCR tests.

• CLICK HERE for the latest government information on Covid
• Read more: New Isle of Wight Covid death as cases soar

New cases are currently high in all age groups here, with 30 to 34 year-olds worst affected, on average.

There were 1,890 new cases in the seven days to March 22.