And then the coronavirus crisis struck and the country went into lockdown. Immediately voluntary groups began providing help for those who could not work and the elderly who were having to self-isolate. The council urged residents not to panic buy goods after a van was stopped near the Blackwall Tunnel and found to be more than a ton overweight because the driver had stockpiled so much toilet roll.
April Restaurants and bars that had to close because of the pandemic began giving out their leftover food for free to NHS workers who were spending all their hours at hospitals caring for the sick. Liam Tolan and David Burgess, who ran Fugitive Motel bar and kitchen in Bethnal Green, gave away food boxes of fresh fruit, vegetables and bread after posting a notice on social media. They took the rest to staff at the Royal London Hospital.