Five years ago, on 11 March 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a global pandemic. In the intervening years, more than 7 million people worldwide have been reported to have died from Covid. For most people, life as they remember it before the outbreak has returned to the way it was before. However, respondents to a Guardian callout reflect a more complex picture for those who are still affected.
While many reported feeling happier that working from home has allowed for a more flexible work-life balance and that eating more healthily and exercising has become a priority, many others described how they still live with what happened.
Among the scores of people who shared with the Guardian how Covid has affected them, many mentioned developing long Covid. Others who are immunosuppressed said they feel more isolated because there are no longer established precautions for those who are vulnerable.
Those who lost loved ones to Covid feel as if they’re still grieving. Some people who lost their jobs and are struggling financially have found it especially difficult to cope with the cost of living. And for parents whose children missed school, the consequences for their development have been irreversible.
Here, six people in the UK reflect on the ways they are still affected by the Covid outbreak five years on.
‘We used to climb mountains, now we just stay home’
Jade from Sheffield has been with her partner, *Tom, both 37, for nearly 19 years. Before the pandemic they lived in a van and travelled across Europe. “We used to climb mountains and see the world, now we just stay at home,” said Jade who spends most of her time as a carer.
Like many people they “vaxxed and relaxed” but in June 2022 Tom caught Covid at work and never fully recovered. He was diagnosed with post-Covid syndrome, has chronic fatigue and spends 22-23 hours a day in bed.
“Looking back I feel misled about the risks of Covid,” said Tom. “We didn’t really learn about the risks of long Covid.”
According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), approximately 2 million people in England and Scotland between November 2023 to March 2024 said they experienced long Covid, with more than 50% of those saying their symptoms have lasted for at least two years.
Tom said he feels “shocked” by the way vulnerable people have been “abandoned” and considers himself “excluded” from public life.
“I miss community and being spontaneous – dealing with fatigue feels like I am rationing out life itself,” he added.
Based on Tom’s experience, Jade co-founded Breathe Easy Sheffield with her friend Chloe in April 2024 which hosts events with enhanced safety measures for those who are still cautious about getting Covid.
“People don’t want to be reminded of what happened, which I understand,” said Jade. “But we are not postpandemic, we’re post-precautions. Covid is still here.”
‘He’s in secondary school and can’t do his times tables’
*Margaret, 50, feels she is “unable to get out of lockdown” despite there no longer being stay-at-home restrictions. Part of this feeling, she said, comes from her 13-year-old son, who has autism, not being able to regularly attend school since 2020.
“He found it really difficult to learn at home,” said Margaret, who is a single parent to her son and 27-year-old daughter, and works as a massage therapist in London. “He would freak out seeing his teacher on the computer and would hide under the table.” She said they had faced difficulties such as getting Covid, applying for an education, health and care plan (EHCP), and finding a school that could address his needs – all of which have made it difficult for him to return to education full-time.
In the academic year 2022-23, about 1.6 million pupils were recorded as “persistently absent” in England, defined as such by the Department for Education as missing at least 10% of school sessions.
Her son has just started at a new school but Margaret is worried about his development. “It’s mixed emotions for me,” she said. “I really want it to work out for him but common sense tells me it’s impossible because he’s so far behind. He loves to learn but he’s in secondary school and can’t do his times tables – he’s completely lacking social skills.”
‘I don’t think I’ve processed it all properly’
In March 2020, *Rosie’s 64-year-old father developed flu-like symptoms. His wife, who worked in a school, was the first to get ill but recovered shortly afterwards. He was asthmatic and within a week he died – after his death he tested positive for Covid. “He just didn’t wake up one morning,” said his daughter Rosie, 34, who is self-employed in the creative industry and from Yorkshire.
Just under 227,000 people died in the UK with Covid listed as one of the causes on their death certificate. On Sunday, hundreds of events took place across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to commemorate those who died.
Rosie and her husband travelled from Leeds to the Lake District for her dad’s funeral but they couldn’t have a wake and returned home straight afterwards.
“It just felt so surreal,” she said. “Not being able to give my mum a hug at the time felt so wrong. I think the shock of it all carried me through but I don’t think I’ve processed it all properly.”
In light of her father’s death and the wider culture of remote working, Rosie ended up following in his footsteps by starting her own business in the creative industry in 2023: “I realised life is short and you have to do what makes you happy before it’s too late.
“Not being able to discuss things with my dad is a continuously sharp reminder of him not being here. It’s bittersweet.”
‘I don’t feel part of society’
For the last five years, Peter Arrowsmith, 69, feels he has been “isolated” and “ignored” because of the neuromuscular condition he lives with. As someone who is immunosuppressed and vulnerable to Covid, he has only very recently started leaving the house more.
“Many friends and relatives have not been willing to perform a simple lateral flow test to give me some reassurance and since the outbreak started I’ve only seen people in three households, in addition to shop workers and tradesmen,” said Arrowsmith who is a retired chartered accountant from Rushden, Northamptonshire.
He was diagnosed with a rare condition called myasthenia gravis in 2013 that causes muscle weakness and can make simple tasks such as lifting objects and walking very tiring.
Arrowsmith said people like him “do not feel part of society” and as a result he is “no longer tolerant” of those who don’t respect his health needs. “I still wear a mask when I go out and have been questioned and challenged by other people about it.
“It makes me angry, the impression is that Covid is all over when it isn’t.”
‘I felt I couldn’t forget the names of the deceased’
When Zoe Clarkson, 35, from London, started working in an administrative role for the NHS in 2016 she never imagined she would be sorting, disinfecting and categorising the belongings of the deceased four years later. “I was unprepared for what I would see and do,” said Clarkson, who was redeployed to work in a hospital mortuary during the pandemic, and has since left the NHS and now works as a senior clinical data manager.
Her experience left her with symptoms of PTSD and she still struggles with anxiety and feelings of isolation. “I kept running through people’s names in my head and felt I couldn’t forget them as it would be disrespectful.” Clarkson, who is now in therapy and on medication, feels she is still searching for closure but doesn’t know if she will get it. “I’m mainly just angry now,” she said.
“I feel like I’ve lost a lot over the years and now, with the anniversary, it’s brought back a lot of memories and feelings. It’s hard to move on.”
‘I walked into the cost of living crisis already on the back foot’
“I’m still suffering with crippling debt,” said *Astrid, 49, who is self-employed from Surrey and who was not eligible for self-employment income support owing to her role as a limited company director. Unable to work regularly or apply for furlough, she took out a bounceback loan but is struggling to pay it back.
Her financial situation has deteriorated drastically over the years. She has not been able to pay her taxes on time (subsequently getting fined), missed out on pension payments and has a poor credit rating. Her debt is still about £20,000.
“The impact of the pandemic, combined with the cost of living and interest rates, has made it difficult for me to keep my head above the water,” she added. As a single parent of two teenagers, Astrid said she is worried about finding herself in a financially unstable situation again where she cannot work.
“People like me walked into the cost of living crisis already on the back foot. I’ve still not recovered from 2020, but it’s like there’s a stigma around talking about the financial fallout myself and others are still experiencing. I’m constantly reminded of what happened – the fear doesn’t go away.”
*Names have been changed
