Looking back at our initial Covid-19 coverage

It was not for a few weeks after that until the seriousness of the virus was truly appreciated.

For this weeks Looking Back, we take a look at the initial coverage surrounding the virus in the Somerset County Gazette.

The first story on the topic appeared in the February 20, 2020 edition after a covid scare at a Taunton general practice surgery.

It ended up being a false alarm, however on Thursday, February 13, French Weir Health Centre closed for the morning while a deep-clean was carried out throughout the surgery.

Following advice from Public Health England, the surgery cancelled appointments after a possible case of the virus was identified.

Speaking at the time, Dr Mike Smart said: “We have had a possible case of coronavirus.

“We have been advised by Public Health England and have temporarily closed the practice following their advice.

“We have had a deep clean of all the possible infection areas, but at this stage coronavirus has not been confirmed.”

From then on the coverage beefed up a lot as the virus spread around our county.

On March 19, 2020 the front cover of the County Gazette featured empty shelves and stories inside were about community support groups being set up.

Also featured was a range of businesses sharing their stories on how a lockdown could affect them, with some, including Zinc Nightclub deciding to remain open despite government advice.

However after the government had officially started the first lockdown, our front cover issued a message of support from us to the community.

We also covered the first confirmed cases at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and the empty streets of our towns.

Taunton in particular was a ghost town on March 24, 2020 after the lockdown was well underway.

Fast forward to current day and the virus is still active but the most recent guidelines from the government has seen the removal of all Covid safety measures.