The HSE National Crisis Management Team began meeting while the public was still in blissful ignorance. The National Public Health Emergency Team ( Nphet) was created. February 2020 Covid arrived in the ski towns of northern Italy. Within weeks, deaths began rising and cases were also reported from Spain and Switzerland. A large hotel in Tenerife was put on lockdown, with thousands more trapped on cruise ships around the world, including the Diamond Princess in Japan. On February 25, a sick man came to Cork University Hospital with unusual respiratory symptoms, he was later identified as having covid. He had not travelled to affected regions. This was the first case of community transmission in Ireland. Sadly, he later died. On February 29, there was a confirmed case of a young man with travel connections to northern Italy. March 2020 Nursing Homes Ireland announced visiting restrictions for private and voluntary homes on March 6. Cheltenham Racing Festival went ahead, as did other concerts. However, a growing number of festivals and films, including the release of James Bond film No Time to Die, were postponed. St Patrick’s Day parades were cancelled. The World Health Organization declared covid a worldwide pandemic on March 11. The first covid death in Ireland was confirmed that day. Irish politicians travelled on St Patrick’s Day trips and on March 13, speaking from Washington, then taoiseach Leo Varadkar gave his first covid speech. “The virus is all over the world. It will continue to spread but it can be slowed. “Its impact can be reduced, making it easier for our health service to cope and giving our scientists more time to develop better testing, treatments, and a vaccine,” he said. He announced restrictions with an end date of March 29, including school closures and the cancellations of gatherings of more than 100 indoors or more than 500 outdoors. Pubs and restaurants began closures. Sports, including outdoor activities such as the GAA or soccer, were halted. Panic buying of toilet paper ensued. On March 27, the restrictions were updated to two weeks of “stay at home”, and included a 2km movement limit. Terms like “cocooning” of vulnerable people and “essential workers” became part of our everyday language. Thousands of people were put on the wage subsidy scheme and the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP). Masks became a thing, as did talking about masks. Who should wear them? What should masks be made of? Were face shields a useful alternative? Home-schooling, Zoom, banana bread, takeaway pints, walks, and household contacts, took over from normal life. Restaurants delivered meals to healthcare workers in hospitals and nursing homes. By the end of the month, 1,232 people were dead and 20,612 cases had been recorded. People such as chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan and his deputy Dr Ronan Glynn as well as the HSE’s Paul Reid, Anne O’Connor and Dr Colm Henry became prominent figures nationally. The daily covid figures, including the R-number (the number of people that a single infected person will go on to infect), were watched closely by the general public, as were modelling pronouncements from Nphet’s professor Philp Nolan. Dance challenges took over social media, especially TikTok, as its popularity surged. Non-essential international travel stopped, with everyone arriving in Ireland — except from Northern Ireland — expected to self-quarantine for 14 days. Airports became ghost towns. Leo Varadkar extended the lockdown to May 18, at least, with a plan published for easing restrictions in stages. On that day, new guidelines included a limit of up to four people who don’t live together meeting outdoors while keeping at least 2 metres apart. A 5km rule was put in place for all movement. Funerals remained restricted to 10 people, with this affecting anyone who died whether of covid or other conditions. Some shops reopened, including garden centres and IT stores. Schools remained closed and a phased return for outdoor construction workers began. Cafes and restaurants as well as hairdressers and barbers began re-opening but with strict social distancing rules. Pubs could open if they served the “€9 substantial meals” to customers. Churches reopened for masses but with social distancing in place. July to August 2020 While initially plans were announced for a further easing of restrictions, this was affected by a sudden spike in cases as people began “mingling” again. Regional lockdowns for Kildare, Laois, and Offaly were announced in August. This was linked to large outbreaks in meat-packing factories, with similar concerns elsewhere. Meat factory workers on low wages often lived together in cramped accommodation and had little chance to socially distance on the factory lines. It was announced the GAA hurling and football championships would go ahead behind closed doors only. Masks were required in shops, cinemas, and a list of other indoor premises as well as continuing on public transport. September 2020 Schools re-opened to the great relief of almost every parent. Children who were immunocompromised and vulnerable to the virus were in many cases still unable to return to education. October 2020 A second severe lockdown — level 5 — was imposed on October 21 which ran until early December. Weddings were limited to 25 people among other changes. Gardaí launched ‘Operation Fanacht’ — checkpoints to ask whether people were on essential journeys, with travel limited to county bounds. November 2020 Plans to ease the restrictions were announced. Taoiseach Micheál Martin made a now infamous speech in which he urged people to enjoy a different but “meaningful Christmas”. December 2020 In mid-December, concern about a new variant of covid in England led to a 48-hour flight cancellation. Limerick and Waterford faced each other in the All-Ireland hurling final in an empty Croke Park. Ultimately, restrictions were re-imposed in Ireland over Christmas at the strict level 5. By then, over 2,171 people had died since the start of the pandemic. However, there was finally some light at the end of the tunnel — a vaccine was on the way. Annie Lynch, a 79-year-old woman from Dublin, became the first person in Ireland to be vaccinated on December 29. We thought the worst was over.