The beginning...

High rates of contagion and deaths among older people.

At the outset of the pandemic, very little was known about the virus. Transmission was known to be mainly airborne, although it was believed that it could also be transmitted by touch and via surfaces that had been touched by people carrying the infection. Adults of all ages were being struck down with serious respiratory symptoms, many needing hospital treatment, and intensive care , including periods on ventilators, the purpose of which was to keep people alive while the disease ran its course.

Many elderly and people with other underlying medical problems were dying in  large numbers despite this. NHS hospitals were filling rapidly, and emergency temporary hospitals were erected (called Nightingale Hospitals). Supplies of protective equipment-gowns ,masks,  etc were in short supply due to massive worldwide demand, a contributory factor in NHS staff catching the virus, some becoming very ill, some dying.

 The Government's task...

 The fear in the UK government was that hospital admissions would out strip NHS hospital bed availability, with the grim prospect of people dying of the virus before they could  get into a hospital.

The immediate solution was seen to be in restricting movement of people, and where this was unavoidable, strict limits were placed on this movement,  involving the wearing of masks, social distancing, regular and thorough washing of hands and severe limits of people meeting together. These were known as ‘lockdowns’ and had the force of law. The first was introduced on March 26, and this was the date that Winsham experienced the attempts to control it.

This came into legal effect on March 26^th, 2020. People were effectively restricted to their homes, only being allowed to leave them for the following reasons:

·       shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible

·       one form of exercise a day - for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of their household.

·       any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person;

·       travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home.

Meeting with friends was banned, as was meeting family members who did not live in your home. Only shopping for food and medicines was allowed, and home delivery services encouraged.

The Winsham community accepted the urgency of the situation immediately, in spirit as well as in the letter. The disease had not yet appeared in the parish, and its incidence in Somerset and the South-west of England was not high, compared with the metropolitan and more heavily populated areas of the country. Certainly, there was no panic.

The only village resource that remained open was Winsham Shop and Post Office, although one of its staff was soon to be struck down by the infection. Mercifully the source of contagion was not thought to be from the village, and it did not cause, as far as we know, any spread.

Winsham Shop staff did a fantastic job.  Recommendations as to in-store hygiene were implemented immediately. Protective transparent screens were erected around the main counter and check-out area. Masks were worn by all staff. Provision for customers to sanitise their hands before entering were placed near the doorway. Customers were to wear masks before entering, and social distancing of two metres was imposed. Only one customer at a time was allowed to enter.

All this was achieved in a friendly sympathetic manner which was a credit to management, staff and volunteers alike.

It was also possible for customers to phone or e-mail their orders into the shop, and the orders would be placed outside the shop to be collected at an agreed time.

For older people and a special ‘shielding’ group-those with health conditions placing them especially at risk, staff from the shop cheerfully delivered goods to their doors, retiring to a distance before the door was opened.

An additional facility was added-shopping was made possible by the addition of its own on-line shopping web site, similar to those offered by the big supermarket groups. This could not be done immediately but followed  and was to help in the future lockdowns that were to follow.

It rapidly became  apparent how valuable Winsham Shop and Post Office was to the community, and how grateful that the fight to save Winsham Shop and Post Office, completed just a year before, had been won.

A major casualty in all this was  ‘’The Bell’. It was forced to close to normal trade. It immediately responded by offering Off Licence sales, takeaway and home delivered hot food, and supplying to order, uncooked meat and vegetables.

St. Stephen’s and the United Reformed Church (Chapel) in Fore Street continued Services and pastoral work. The Two Benefice Ministry did an excellent task using e-mail, web sites and Zoom to deliver their Message.

The pupils at Winsham Primary School were also  victims. The schools closed in line with other lockdown restrictions.

The Jubilee Hall, with obligatory total close down, meant that it could not accept any hiring. This meant a total loss of earnings from bookings,  but many costs did not go away. Fortunately, it was the beneficiary of a grant from SSDC to help cover these costs.

Medical resources Winsham due to its small size has no medical resources within its boundaries. Chard, Ilminster and Crewkerne are the nearest towns where they are available, so some travel was essential, if these were needed. Para-medic services ,linked to an ambulance service continued to be available for critical health emergencies. Access to normal medical services became difficult. Local Doctors and dentists adopted procedures relating to the making of appointments, and attendance at surgeries as safe as possible. Doctors placed more emphasis on initial consultation by telephone, prior to an appointment. Additional services such as chiropody, physiotherapists, chiropractors adopted similar precautions, or closed.  People who suspected that they might have Covid were directed to online and telephone services for help. They were not allowed to visit surgeries. It was standard practice that all visitors to a surgery had their temperature take and asked questions about their current state of health and certain symptoms. Numbers allowed into surgeries at one time were strictly limited, with queues often developing: not the best of situations for people feeling unwell, for non-Covid reasons, at the time. For some, particularly older and infirm people , the problem of obtaining prescription-based medication was difficult. Social distancing was causing long queues outside pharmacists, and many could not even contemplate such a situation, due to their physical condition. To help off-set this problem Chard Town Council set up a system for home delivery of drugs to people, which worked very well for some months. Meanwhile new services from on-line pharmacies gained momentum, playing their part in overcoming this problem. Following the introduction of the first lockdown, resources for treating non-Covid conditions were placed under severe stain, with much surgery, and other treatments delayed or cancelled. The effect of this on lives lost and prolonged illness, effectively due to Covid is still not known, and the build-up of delays in treatable symptom for other conditions is likely to continue to have a knock-on effect for years to come. Never beaten! Not even by Covid-19!! The 75th anniversary of VJ day on the 8th May was celebrated with many small, socially distanced parties-all staying within the rules-around the village. This one was in Church Street.

What did the people of Winsham make of it all-how did the restrictions make a difference to their lives?....CLICK HERE

What happened next-CLICK HERE