Family Life in Lockdown: Through My Eyes

By Anthony Harrison

Family life in lockdown. It’s the first book of two. Describing the life as a family while in lockdown. This book also describes the pandemic and who the world was affected.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716853722

Book preview

Family Life in Lockdown: Through My Eyes

To the people who lost their lives to this evil virus,

We lost our loved ones, our friends, and our work colleagues,

We may have lost you physically, but you will forever be in our hearts and minds. X

Anthony Harrison, May 2020

Introduction

I documented how my family and I responded to lockdown and how others behaved. These are all my personal views on life in lockdown, some people may think they are right, some may think they are wrong.

I watched on while the events of the Coronavirus began to unravel.  The events are all that I witnessed on TV, the Internet, Newspapers and Social Media and the remainder are my views.

The events I focus on are mainly in the UK as this is where I am from, However I focus on other countries of China, USA, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Belgium. For my own records I wanted to compare the deaths and how each country began to deal with the pandemic differently and at different stages as some countries are ahead of others.

These countries seem to be the mainly effected countries at the time. I also focus on my work and personal life and how I was affected before the lockdown. During the lockdown I made notes on my thoughts, actions and other behaviours.

I will be donating some profits from this book to the Charities of NHS Counselling and Mental Health for staff, Domestic Abuse and Homelessness. I believe these are 3 areas our country has suffered in this horrific time.

31st December 2019, New Year’s Eve

While the world was celebrating the end of 2019 and getting excited at the prospect of a new exciting year of 2020. Things in Wuhan, China were quite different indeed. People was partying at the possibility of an amazing new year. Making plans with family and friends, planning holidays and weekends away. Little did they know 2020 who probably be their worst year yet.

Cases of pneumonia have broken out or so they thought. It was going to hit one country hard by the time May 2020 arrives. Over 200 countries will be affected and over 4.5 million people transmitting the virus with a large number dying.

It is believed that the virus began in a Wuhan seafood market. Here wild animals such as birds, rabbits, bats and snakes are traded Illegally. Coronavirus has been studied and the results show that it from animal to human but not the reverse. Its more than likely that meat from the infected animal was ingested and the virus begins. A study at the Wuhan Institute for Virology released a study of Coronavirus and 96% of the identical virus lives in bats.

With these results it shown one of 3 ways is it possible for a human to contract the virus. Contact with the bats is possible to spread, but also if some eats the meat of the bats or the bats infect another animal and then that animal is then eaten. Other Coronavirus give evidence that some cases did not include the market, some cases were tracked back to early December.

Coronavirus are a large group of viruses and can cause a cold, a fever, pneumonia, loss of taste and smell or even death. It effects people in different ways. Studies later reveal who is at risk and why. The Most well know Coronavirus is SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. This first effected China in 2002. 26 Countries had 8000 cases and 774 deaths. SARS was bad but here comes something new, COVID-19. People referred to this as just the flu. How wrong they were?

January 1st 2020

The market was shut down for inspection and testing. Once this was complete the market was cleaned to stop any further spread. The Chinese authorities report the events to the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention in the USA is informed. The Department of Health and Human Services are also informed on 1st January.

January 5th 2020

The World Health Organisation (WHO) have reported to the World a Pneumonia of Unknown cause in Wuhan and advised against travel to and from China. The National Security Council was also informed.

January 6th 2020

The CDC Director wrote to Chinese officials and offered to send a team of CDC scientists to assist China. China declined the offer and Began to attempt to control the spread of COVID 19 themselves.

The reason for the offer is so the US officials can gain access to the virus and attempt testing to begin work towards a vaccine. This action delays the US Governments plans to act in advance. In the USA, the Government and the Department of Health and Human services assembly a taskforce which Donald Trump dismantled this team a few years previous. These acts by Donald Trump prove to be the worst possible action and not the best timing to do so. Anthony S. Fauci was included in the team. Dr Fauci is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and he has a great reputation of his work through the years on other diseases including AIDS. His work has always been recognised by the Presidents throughout the years. Other members of the taskforce include Dr Redfield of the CDC and Dr Azar of the HHS.

January 8th 2020

The CDC issue its first public alert about the coronavirus and little did we know how much it was going to escalate in China and even worse the world.

January 9th 2020

China release all the data of the virus and confirm it is in fact a coronavirus. The World Health Organisation confirm it is in fact a Coronavirus and originates in Wuhan. The world is stunned and cannot believe their eyes and what they are hearing.

January 10th 2020

The World Health Organisation issues a comprehensive package of guidance and advice to Countries around the world. The guidance includes how to test for potential cases. The WHO also warns of the risk of human to human transmission.

January 14th 2020

It is clear how aggressive the human to human transmission can be. The WHO advise that the Coronavirus can be limited and sustained with a controlled lockdown of the residents of Wuhan.

The WHO advises that Countries prepare precautions for the virus as their Country would during a SARS and MERS Outbreak. While advising the World, the WHO begin a preliminary investigation conducted by the Chinese authorities and they find no clear evidence of human to human transmission. The world watches on and believe that China and hiding evidence and are suspicious of Chinas finding.

After Chinas brief investigation the head of China’s National Health Commission, MA Xiaowei confidentially reveals his finding and that the virus can and has been transmitted human to human. These findings are reported to the Chinese Health Officials. China then are presented with the horror of how the virus spreads and how it is possible to transmit the virus.

Later that day an emergency meeting is called in Thailand as a case of the Coronavirus is revealed in their country. The virous is spreading rapidly and it is the start of Chinese New Year. A time of a large amount of travel and crowds of celebrations. This could not have begun at a worse time in China.

January 17th 2020

The USA begin to take action. The CDC dispatch public health experts to screen incoming airport passengers flying into the country. The airports of the cities include New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Donald Trump takes praises for his actions even though he has taken the advice from the experts.

Reports suggest, Donald Trump choices to ignore the advice of the CDC and the warning of an outbreak in the USA. The Media have reported that he has been more focused of his golf than his governments advice which has passed down from some of the best scientist in the world. He has accused Dr Azar of being an ‘alarmist’.

January 20th 2020

China are informed of how serious the infection can be. The Who and Chinese Authorities also inform the population of how rapid the transmission occurs. There are over 50 million people in the Provence of Hubei and who knows what would happen.

In the USA, the first case of the coronavirus is reported in the country. An American citizen travelled form Wuhan, China to his home in Washington State. His symptoms did not occur until he was back in the USA and was not traced util he had the virus.

After fast track work the CDC develop the first Coronavirus test. The test is used on the victim of the first cases in the USA. The test was found to be defective and the test gave inconclusive results. A bad test is worse than no test at all. Samples of the first case was then sent to the CDC labs in Atalanta for further testing. This first group of testing kits would identify all coronavirus antibodies in the human body not just COVID-19.

The man with the first case in Washington state was hospitalized. The US Health System was about to take care of a medical case the know nothing about and will learn more as time goes by.

January 22nd 2020

Donald Trump is questioned in a daily briefing about the Coronavirus and how concerned he was? Once again, the President arrogantly replies that he is not worried at all. And that the country has it totally under control. ‘’It is one person coming in from China. It is going to be just fine’’. Talk about famous last words. Very soon this man is in for a shock!

The president later stated ‘’This is not a pandemic’’.

There are now 440 cases in the UK and the virus is spreading rapidly. The UK Government was tracing down 2000 travellers that have entered the UK from flights from Wuhan. This will turn into a huge task.

In the USA, the Government are still monitoring passengers of incoming flights and now Chicago and Atlanta are included into taking these actions.

In the Netherlands, the International Airport in Schiphol reduce its direct flight to and from Wuhan.

January 23rd 2020

24 days since the virous was first transmitted, the Chinese authorities decided to shutdown Wuhan. How do you shut down a city of 11 million people? The World was about to find out! People was banished to their homes only leaving home for supplies such as food and medicine. Business, Factories, Shops, Cinemas, Restaurants, Bars, Cafes and Schools all closed.

100,000 residents already departed Wuhan at this point. They were obviously scared and the situation becoming profoundly serious. A tip was sent online, this aloud residents enough time to get through the boarder before they closed.

Wuhan citizens must now wear facemasks in public. All public transport was suspended and now there was no international travel for the residents.

The WHO later that day announced that human to human transmission is occurring at the R estimate of 1.4 to 2.5 was presented to the world. The Chinese Health Organisation report that 1 in 4 people could lose their lives. The source of which the coronavirus originates is still unknown at this moment in time. They suspect is will have come from an animal and ingested but more research in needed to conclude this.

The WHO also advises all the worlds countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, Early Detection, Isolation, Case management, Contact tracing and prevention of the spread of Coronavirus. It was also recommended that full data to be shared to the WHO by each country.

Two more cases of Coronavirus are reported in the USA on 26th January. Again, these people have returned from Wuhan. All cases are allowed to self-isolate for 2 weeks at their homes.

January 24th 2020

China declares a Level public health emergency in its country. Cinemas, Restaurants and fast food restaurants are closed from today. All residents must now stay at home for 14 days.

January 25th 2020

China’s scientist and members of the Disease and Prevention are sent into the worst hit areas. All wildlife trading is banned from immediate effect. All schools would be closed until further notice.

January 27th 2020

The WHO have assessed the risk of the virus to a high global level. I am no expert, but this got my attention and I realised how bad this was.

The Government officially announce the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Or should we say put a team together because Donald Trump ripped apart a few years previous. That is one mistake he will not admit to or should I say the first mistake of many he will not admit too. The team attended their first meeting on 29th January along with Donald Trump. The team put together a plan on preparing the