A look back at the coronavirus pandemic in Herefordshire

A year ago this week, the first positive case of coronavirus in Herefordshire was detected.

The onset of the global pandemic, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, sparked fear and confusion across the world and the county alike.

More than 300 local people have since died with Covid-19 on their death certificate and around 3% of the local population have tested positive.

At the beginning, local people scrambled to supermarkets across the county leaving shelves empty of pasta, bread and toilet paper, among other things.

This happened regardless of assurances from retailers that there was no need to stockpile food.

Medicine aisles were also hit by stockpilers, with supplies of paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin running out in some shops.

Then on March 23, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced strict new curbs on life in the UK to tackle the spread of the disease.

Restrictions have since been in place in various forms as the pandemic has evolved over the year.

The initial lockdown was eased in June before a new regional tier system of restrictions was introduced in October as cases began to rise again.

In July, more than 200 workers were quarantined at Rook Row Farm in Mathon after an outbreak on the site.

This was believed to be the first outbreak on a farm in the UK.

A national lockdown was reintroduced during November to be lifted briefly in December and replaced with a new tier system

However, after a surge in cases over Christmas, a new strict lockdown was introduced in January.

Now, restrictions are slowly being ease and children have returned to school.

Herefordshire Council leader David Hitchiner has praised teachers for their work during the pandemic.