A look back at the last 100 days of lockdown in the Border region

ITV News

Tuesday marks the 100th day since the UK went into lockdown.

As many restrictions are eased, here’s a look back at how things have developed the Border region.

  • 12 March 2020

One of Cumbria's biggest secondary school closes after a teacher and then a pupil are found to have coronavirus.

Coming just over a week after the county's first cases, it was an early sign of how much Cumbria would be affected.

Colin Cox, the county's Director of Public Health, has been at the centre of the local response to the virus. He said: "The first cases were people who'd come back from a skiing holiday in Italy. There was a case in Trinity School quite early on, within a few days of that."


Trinity School closed on 12 March after confirmed coronavirus cases. Credit: ITV News

  • Start of April

Troops were setting up five makeshift recovery centres around Cumbria to help the NHS cope. In the end they weren't needed, but it marked a worrying time. 

Colin Cox saId: "You saw pictures in Italy of people dying in corridors because they didn't have access to hospital beds and we were determined to avoid that in Cumbria." 


Makeshift Covid-19 hospital in Cumbria Credit: ITV News
  • Easter

In Cumbria, cases of coronavirus peaked in Cumbria and more than 70 people died in the week ending the 17th of April.  

Soon we were seeing the faces of some of them, like Allan Davis-Johnston from Cockermouth. 

His grandson said: "We're absolutely gutted as is all the family. He was a loved man. Even though he was 81 he was living a full and active life. It's just an absolute shock to us all."


Allan Davis-Johnston died after testing positive for coronavirus. Credit: Family photo

Deaths in the Scottish Borders also peaked at Easter, with 15 that same week. The total now is more than 70. 

Dumfries and Galloway has seen the lowest number of deaths in the Border region - the peak here came at the start of April with 12 in a week but there have been several weeks with no deaths at all since the 17 of May. 

  • End of April

There have been several deaths among health workers including nurses Cecilia Fashanu from the Cumberland Infirmary and Angle Cunningham from the Borders General. 

Friends, neighbours and strangers lined the streets of Tweedbank to pay their respects to Angie. They clapped as her coffin, decorated with pink flowers, passed by, before going on to the Borders General Hospital.

Colleagues of Cecilia gathered in the atrium of the Cumberland Infirmary to observe a one minute silence followed by an applause.

Angie Cunningham and Cecilia Fashanu. Credit: Family photo

Chief Executive of NHS Borders, Ralph Roberts, said: "It's been really difficult for staff. I think at the beginning we were very daunted. We've had the loss of a staff member and that's been very difficult for all of her colleagues.

"It is difficult and I think it is fair to say staff are exhausted even if they don't realise they are. They've been working really hard for the last 100 days."  



  • Start of June

The Borders seen the region's highest number of deaths in a single care home, with 8 residents having died at Saltgreens in Eyemouth.

One of them was Grace Dougal, whose husband questions whether governments have done enough to protect vulnerable people. 

Her husband, David, told ITV Border: "I think we should know so it doesn't happen again. I think  I think the governments just hoped it would go away. They weren't ready for it."



  • 100 days in lockdown

Life across the region changed dramatically when the lockdown began and as we slowly get back to normal there are fears of a second wave of the virus. 

Director of Public Health Colin Cox said: "You wouldn't talk to anybody in public health that wasn't worried about a second wave but we do need to start opening up the economy. We just need to do it in a way that's careful."