From ‘fake news’ to fear – how views changed in the weeks before UK lockdown one year ago – Wales Online

A year ago, the UK went into lockdown.

Yet while most worried deeply about what was happening, incredibly, for much of the time before that, some people online simply did not believe what they were being told.

Twelve months on, we look back at the reactions of people across the UK as the virus first emerged in China, then spread here in isolated outbreaks - before cases soared and forced the most severe restrictions on freedom of movement in UK history.

And the analysis shows a number of things - from the ridicule and disbelief that some expressed at first at what some thought was 'just the flu', to the worry that spread over the weeks as the UK became gripped by the virus.

Perhaps most striking of all is just how far-sighted many comments from ordinary people were - with discussion on social media about what the Government should do to protect schools and the NHS at times running well ahead of what was actually happening.

Coronavirus has changed society here and across the globe.

This is a look at what people were thinking on social media as the virus closed in on our shores.

On January 11, one website informed readers of a "mystery deadly virus" that had hit the city of Wuhan and was spreading at an increased rate.

We now know that 12 days later the Chinese city went into a lockdown that became the template for how the rest of the world would deal with the pandemic.

But at the time, people in the UK had heard little - and some were sceptical about what they were being told.

"Mass hysteria!" said one person commenting on Facebook.

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Covid-19 was first recorded in the UK on January 31 when two cases were reported. At that point, the global death toll was 265.

In a statement, Professor Chris Whitty, a then little-known public health official, said: "We can confirm that two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive for coronavirus. The patients are receiving specialist NHS care, and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus.

"The NHS is extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections and we are already working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had, to prevent further spread.

"We have been preparing for UK cases of novel coronavirus and we have robust infection control measures in place to respond immediately. We are continuing to work closely with the World Health Organization and the international community as the outbreak in China develops to ensure we are ready for all eventualities."

We now know that was the beginning of a terrible outbreak that has so far claimed more than 126,000 lives.

But while the reaction that day on Facebook seems eye-opening in retrospect, at the time few even in government had any sense of how dreadful things would soon get.

"That's it - time to start trying to scare everyone," said one person in response to a news story about the first UK cases.

"Here we go - get ready for scaremongering," said another.

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Already, though, people were expressing concern that flights were still being allowed to the UK from China.

"The borders should have been shut," said one person.

"Should have closed the borders instantly - no one in or out," said another.

"As if we dont have enough health problems," one person said.

"We need stricter border control while this is on and proper health checks in the airports for everyone."

That is an issue that was still being discussed many months later.

Meanwhile, advice that is now commonplace was starting to be voiced by people worried about what lay ahead.

"If we all follow guidelines, we can all prevent spreading - share the prevention, not the virus," said one person.

"Get your hands on some Dettol and hand alcohol gel."

But there was worry, too, with one person saying simply: "It's very frightening."

The NHS - for decades an iconic institution at the heart of British life - has now seen its reputation enhanced beyond all measure.

Back in January last year, though, well before the claps at doorsteps, people were praising the NHS as being an organisation that would be able to cope with what might lie ahead.

"Don't underestimate the NHS," said one person. "They are troopers."

Because of what was happening abroad, it was already clear that something very serious was likely to be on the way here.

By the next day, February 1, with rumours now spreading of more cases, news reports said a section of Paddington station in London had been cordoned off after staff told commuters about a 'suspected virus outbreak' that saw two people taken to hospital.

The global death toll had risen overnight by 45, to 310 - and more people were anxious about what was going to happen.

It transpired days later that the Paddington patients did not in fact have coronavirus - but, before that became clear, opinion at the time ranged from disbelief to serious concern.

"Scaremongering at its finest," said one Facebook user, while another put it more bluntly, saying: "This is boring me now."

Another, much more worried person saw it differently, saying: "This should be taken seriously - don't underestimate how this will spread."

By February 3, Health Secretary Matthew Hancock said the Government would plough fresh money into developing a vaccine to combat the virus.

It was announced that infectious disease experts would use 20 million of UK government funding to embark on a six-month plan to produce a vaccine.

At this stage, the official death toll in China was 361, and the global death toll 432.

There had still been only two cases in the UK at this point.

Reaction to news about the new investment online was mixed.

One person said simply: "Not rapid enough."

Another, more personal message was touching, but understandably failed to appreciate just how deadly the coronavirus crisis would soon become.

"They are hoping for a vaccine in six months," the Facebook user said. "20 million given to research.

"Every year there are 2,190 people dying in the UK from motor neurone disease.

"And 150 years after first diagnosing this disease, we still don't have a treatment or cure.

"If they would spend that amount on finding a cure or a treatment for MND, people like me and many others would have a chance to live and not be trying desperately to fight a losing battle with this horrific disease that slowly robs you of your ability to walk, talk, move, swallow and breathe."

Heartbreaking though those sentiments were, the death toll from Covid-19 would eventually be far, far worse than even those figures.

Hospitals prepare for outbreaks

By February 5, the number of cases was still no higher - the only confirmed patients being the two announced on January 31.

One newspaper reported that a hospital trust had told its board it already had plans in place to support staff responding to outbreaks of the infection.

Training is also underway to ensure clinical teams are well prepared," the trust said.

The ongoing outbreak is an evolving situation and our teams are working closely with our partners to ensure any response is coordinated and effective.

It was a fairly technical statement, but one reader raged at the news outlet, saying: "That's the way to cause mass panic. Shame on you."

These kinds of comments were in fact commonplace during the early phase of the pandemic in the UK - although even today news organisations reporting straightforward official data on the virus are vilified by some who think Covid has been blown out of all proportion.

Some were angry about what they clearly felt was a non-news story.

But others were starting to ask more basic questions - like how would it affect their day-to-day lives.

One person asked: "Silly question, but what about all the parcels coming from that way like off eBay, if they sneeze in the box and seal it up, then its posted around the world?"

The global death toll by February 5 now stood at 572.

However, there had now been 27,463 cases globally - a massive jump on the 557 cases reported two weeks earlier.

February 15 was a day after Valentine's Day, and for the vast majority of people, life was still carrying on in a fairly ordinary way.

That day, though, health officials were seen in one Midlands town wearing hazmat suits after reports a man had fallen ill after returning from a trip to Hong Kong with his wife the day before.

The reaction online was relaxed, with some even joking about it. One person quipped: "I don't think anyone there has ever left the place, let alone gone to China."

The story attracted a lot of news coverage at the time, although as far as is known no coronavirus cases were ever confirmed.

By now, there had been nine coronavirus cases in the UK. But there had now been 69,052 cases worldwide.

And there had now been 1,670 deaths - up from 17 on January 22 when the tally first began.

On February 18, a surgery in the south-east of England announced it would be deep-cleaned after a suspected coronavirus case.

Public Health England later said that the case was actually not linked to the virus.

However, like the hazmat incident a few days earlier, any sign of the virus was being pounced on by the authorities.

There was still reason to be calm in the UK, with the overall case total still standing at nine. There were no deaths yet, and nor would there be until March 2.

The story reached more than 40,000 people, with dozens tagging in friends about the news - even though there was no case.

Some were angry that the incident was even being reported.

There had now been 75,152 cases across the globe, and 2,010 deaths.

But at this stage, in the UK, we were still in the equivalent of what during the Second World War was called the phoney war - the first eerie months of inaction before the nightmare arrived.

In the ten days between February 18 and February 28, the number of UK cases increased steadily - from 10 on February 21 to 42 by February 28.

Supplies of hand sanitiser and face masks were starting to run low. One website reported that stock was running low across the area.

One chemist said: "We cant get any hand sanitisers or face masks.

We are sold out of face masks and we have noticed the prices of those products have gone up."

Another said: I have asked staff to order some face masks as customers are asking for them and we are struggling to get any in.

Panic-buying had not arrived at the supermarkets yet - but hand sanitiser was starting to become harder to locate.

Online, one Facebook user said: "I saw a woman in Home Bargains clear the shelf of about 20 bottles."

But the gross insensitivity of some online was still clear to see - even though by now the global case count was 84,122 and the death toll had reached 2,924.

One person summed up the unfeeling attitude of some online by saying: "It's only going to kill the old and weak - don't worry about it."

On March 2, an elderly woman who already had underlying health problems became the first person in Britain to die after being diagnosed with the disease.

Some no doubt thought that it might be an isolated case.

Within a month, however, there had been 6,005 deaths - although many of these were not reported at first but only added to the records days or weeks afterwards.

By now, there had been 108 cases in the UK. Across the world, that figure was 90,377, and there had been 3,118 deaths.

A report on one website told people about the different symptoms for Covid-19 and the common cold.

With the crisis yet to really arrive in the UK, reaction online to the situation was calm, with some dismissing news reports about the virus as an over-reaction.

"More people die on the roads every day but cars aren't banned," said one person.

"I'm not dismissing it but just trying to put it into perspective."

Another common theme at the time was that Covid-19 was just the flu - which between 2001 and 2019 in the UK had, along with pneumonia, killed between 25,406 and 34,496 a year.

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From 'fake news' to fear - how views changed in the weeks before UK lockdown one year ago - Wales Online