The horrors of Covid will never be forgotten

Just prior to Holy Week, I developed symptoms of a cold and I thought it prudent to take a lateral flow test. Despite all the precautions I had taken to try and avoid the coronavirus, the test proved positive.

Fortunately, I didn’t feel very ill but it caused me to reflect upon what might it have been like if I had contracted the virus in the early days of the pandemic. In those days, there wasn’t a single vaccination, let alone triple protective doses.

Thank goodness for the scientists who produced safe vaccines in record time and for all those who helped administer them to our residents. Like many others, I am very thankful to the NHS staff and volunteers who helped organize the injections at the North Devon Leisure Centre and other venues as well.

We must not forget that the NHS was under enormous pressure from the start of the pandemic, as they struggled with finding sufficient staff, beds, ventilators and PPE.  Reports I was getting from my oldest daughter, who works in infection control in the Intensive Care unit in University College, London, were horrific, as they tried to save lives.

The stress was enormous, as doctors and nurses were working 12-hour shifts in full PPE, struggling to find beds for those who desperately needed them. The effect on our medical staff and their families cannot be under-estimated, while over 150,000 people lost their lives.

Thousands of lives were saved but it took a lot of sacrifices by the NHS teams for that to happen. They certainly deserved the claps of appreciation we gave them each week on our doorsteps during lockdown.

I can’t imagine how awful it was for loved ones not to be able to say goodbye to members of their families, who were never to recover from this dreadful disease. People were unable to hug their dying partners, or visit their parents or grandparents or loved ones in care homes. The government eventually brought in strict regulations to make mass gatherings and parties illegal in order to save lives.

Bearing in mind the dreadful situation that was going on at the time, I find it extremely shocking that the Prime Minister presided over a culture at Downing Street of partying and breaking the law, while the Covid pandemic was getting out of control and thousands were dying.

We listened as he solemnly addressed the nation on how very important it was that we all follow his lockdown rules. However, it is becoming clear that those who held high office in the land flouted the lockdown regulations.

It is no wonder that people have said that it was one rule for them and another for us. Even though the Prime Minister has apologized, I find it incredible that he knowingly lied to our Parliament, saying, among other things, that somebody else told him that it was okay.

Fortunately, the vaccinations and improved treatments have made it possible to lift those strict regulations and North Devon was once again a popular tourist destination over the Easter weekend. This will have given a badly-needed boost to our hospitality and tourist industry, which suffered economic hardship during the lockdowns.

To assist, our NDC comms team have continued to encourage everyone to help keep our beaches and countryside clean and tidy, using #LocalLitterHeroes, and this month have launched our #NoButtsNoExcuses campaign.  Our Neighbourhood Officers have teamed up with the environmental community group, Barnstaple in Bloom, to raise awareness and target the littering of cigarette butts.

North Devon Council has also won yet another national award for quality service by winning the Best Performing National Land information Service (NLIS) Level 2 Local Land Charges Department award at the 2022 Land Data Local Land Charges Wards for Excellence.  The national award recognizes the work and achievements of local authority Local Land Charges departments, which carry out the land and property searches required for conveyancing transactions in England and Wales.