Police patrol Briggate on horses during the first lockdownPolice patrol Briggate on horses during the first lockdown
Police patrol Briggate on horses during the first lockdown

A year on: How the streets of Leeds looked when the first Covid lockdown began

Today marks a year since the first coronavirus lockdown.

On March 23 2020, the nation watched as Boris Johnson told everyone to stay at home for the first time.

Non-essential shops were closed, gyms locked up their doors and people packed up their desks to work from home.

No one could have predicted what was to come, or that we'd still be under lockdown a year later.

The pandemic has turned our world upside down and more than 1,600 deaths with Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate have now been recorded in Leeds.

As we mark the National Day of Reflection, we take a look back at the empty streets of Leeds when the city was first plunged into lockdown.

Pictures by Rebecca Marano and Jonathan Gawthorpe.

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