Hardly anyone in the UK had heard of Covid 19 when a new year dawned on January 1, 2020. But just the day before, on December 31, 2019, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China, reported a cluster of pneumonia cases with a common reported link to Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, a wholesale fish and live animal market. By January 20, there were reports of confirmed cases from three countries outside China: Thailand, Japan and South Korea. These cases had all been exported from China. On January 23, Wuhan City was locked down – with all travel in and out of Wuhan prohibited – and movement inside the city was restricted.
SHOPPERS were urged to stop panic buying as supermarkets, including in the Falmouth and Helston area, are being left with empty shelves.The warning came, from among others, Andrew Wallis, who is a Cornwall councillor for Helston and Porthleven. He went to Helston Tesco to pick up some essentials, only to discover aisle upon aisle of empty shelves. He even met one couple who had travelled all the way from Truro to Helston in the search of toilet roll, as their local shops had run out.
FALMOUTH Spring Flower Show is cancelled due to Coronavirus, as is Helston Flora Day and Falmouth’s International Sea Festival. Spring Flower Show organiser Organiser Jean Carr said: “Many of the organising committee are over 70 in what is a truly community event, with ages ranging from four to over 80. “It is a great shame but we’ll now concentrate on making next year’s event bigger and better than ever.”