Thread by @VixL

#IsleofWight - a covid history.

A lesson in how an isolated community can be utilised, promoted, cast aside - and now left asking for possible military support to evacuate patients via chinook. 😮
A thread /???

theguardian.com/world/2021/jan…

Reminder that possible military support for our 'resilience planning' came all the way back in April.
For overners, the #IsleofWight has a population of 140,000 people and approx 30% are aged 65+.
Our virus levels were low in first lockdown. But we knew we were vulnerable. 2/

It got to May 2020 and the #IsleofWight was entered into trialling an App with noble ambitions to monitor our social interactions and notify us to #StayHome . Matt Hancock told Islanders that we were Pioneers & Leading the Way. Thousands pressured to download. TV News visited 3/

App didn't really work, but took government many weeks to admit this. Islanders were largely enthusiastic and proud to be visible at a national level and 'doing our bit'.
Virus levels still remained low as we entered the summer months. 4/

#IsleofWight MP 'played his part' by breaking lockdown rules by going to a BBQ with brexit supporting journalists on the island for a summer wkend.
For many islanders, this was a key turning point: all those sacrifices made by so many of us & our Conserv MP ignores the rules. 5/

By the summer holidays, visitors arrived and virus levels low across the country. Reports, studies and data came in - highlighting our vulnerable #IsleofWight community in terms of age, health, employment and isolation.
Terms like "hospital desert" became common place . 6/

Beautiful August - spending time outdoors on the beautiful #IsleofWight.
Please come and @VisitIOW when all this is over. You will not be disappointed. 🌞🌞🌞
Islanders deserve better than a government who has used us for the last year. 7/

"Isle of Wight - lowest in England" appeared on several maps and articles as we headed into the autumn.
Few new cases. All seemed to be going well.
Reminder - it is *essential* that IW virus levels are low. We are incredibly vulnerable. 8/

End of November and government announces #IsleofWight is TIER1 - pubs fully open, ferries available ..... recipe for disaster.
The Sun even advertises this on its front page. 9/

Early signs for the #IsleofWight covid figures in Tier1 were not good. New strain announced. Government announce extra Transport Police.
None sent to the Island ports.
Increasingly difficult to access tests - now open 7 days a week. 9/

By Jan 1st covid cases rocketing. By Jan 3rd we got to 459 positive cases IN ONE DAY. These would have been 'baked in' from before Christmas - from being a Tier1 island off the Tier4 South Coast.

Reminder - 1 hospital, older population, no road access. We are vulnerable. 10/

Jan 12th & Chinooks on stand by to 'evacuate covid patients'

Desperate times. Islanders have been failed by a Tier system which made everything much worse, an NHS system which offloads services to the mainland, and a political system giving us a lockdown breaker as an MP. 10/