Hi Caz
Firstly, I am sorry to hear that your daughter was in hospital a couple of months ago. I hope she has recovered now.
My own recollection is that the government only went more public about it in the early days of March. I recall seeing a news conference at Downing Street with BJ, Chris Witty and Patrick Vallance on the news in which one of them stated they felt there was likely to be a significant outbreak od Covid-19 in the UK, or words to that effect. Prior to this point, I hadn't really been concerned about the disease at all and had assumed that the government would have had things under control so that if it did arrive here (it did in late January), there would be a minimal effect on this country.
With hindsight, allowing people to travel to Italy back in mid-February was a mistake for sure. I also think that many sports events should have been suspended or cancelled a while before they eventually were. Responsibility for sports though lies with the governing bodies for those sports first and foremost. The Liverpool v Athletico Madrid CL match just before mid-March should never have taken place for example, and Brian has already mentioned the Cheltenham Festival. Quite possibly, the Six Nations rugby union competition should have been halted an an earlier time as well.
Originally Posted by: David M Porter