THREE years after the UK went into the first lockdown, collected figures show how the measure impacted health, education and the economy in Barrow. 

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK would go into lockdown as a means of stopping the spread of Covid-19 in March 2020. 

This is how Barrow has changed since then. 

Health

The latest figures from the UK coronavirus dashboard show that 303 people have died from Covid-19 in Barrow since the start of the pandemic. 

However, people's health has been affected in other ways. At Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Health Board, 56.1 per cent of patients with an urgent GP referral for cancer treatment were seen within two months according to NHS England data. In February 2020, 71.3 per cent were seen in time. 

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We are working to reduce the 62-day cancer backlog – which has fallen 35 per cent since peaking in 2020 – but we know there is more to do.

"Over 2.8 million people were seen after urgent GP referrals between February 2022 and January 2023 and it is encouraging to see more patients coming forward for vital checks." 

Many people's mental health also deteriorated during lockdowns. 

Across England, an estimated 1.8 million people are in contact with mental health services, up from 1.4 million in February 2020.

In the former NHS Morecambe Bay CCG area, 8,560 people received support for their mental health in December. 

Education

The latest Department for Education figures show that the rate of persistently-absent pupils in the area rose from 9.7 per cent in 2018-19 to 11 per cent last year.

The Association of School and College Leaders argue that local authority attendance services have been reduced as a result of government cuts undermining the efforts of individual schools. 

The Department for Education said the vast majority of children are "in school and learning."

A spokesperson added: "We work closely with schools, trusts, governing bodies, and local authorities to identify pupils who are at risk of becoming, or who are persistently absent and working together to support those children to return to regular and consistent education."

Similarly, attainment for Key Stage 1 pupils has fallen in recent years. Every area in the country saw fewer children achieve the expected standard across all four key subjects: reading, writing, maths and science.

In Barrow, just 64 per cent of Key Stage 1 pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, 55 per cent in writing, 67 per cent in maths and 79 per cent in science.

Economy

Three lockdowns, furlough and restricted spending had long-lasting effects on the British economy. 

This included the nationwide shift to remote work. Figures from Google, which uses location data from phones and other personal devices to track trends in people's movement, show workplace activity remains well below pre-pandemic levels.

In Barrow, workplace activity was 18 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels.

2021 saw 327,000 businesses close across the UK, a 9 per cent increase on the year before and the highest number since 2017.

Of these, 320 were closed in Barrow.