Written, says its author, as “an aid for people in Wales to understand what has happened to themselves, their families and their lives,” Lockdown Wales explores how the ongoing pandemic, and the decisions made by the politicians, affected those people. It outlines the events that took place from 23 Mar 2020, when it was first announced the UK was going into lockdown, and the incredibly fast-moving events of the following week: grocery websites crashing, schools closing, streets silenced and all the things we took for granted simply halted.

Will Hayward reports on the myriad changes that took place in the NHS: in Cardiff, a 70,000-capacity stadium became a 2,000-bed hospital. Were established hospitals, meanwhile, equipped to control the virus? The concern over the lack of PPE, and the consequences thereof, is examined, the failure for this at a local and governmental level explored in detail. Shortcomings in testing, including whether it was introduced swiftly enough, are explored, with detailed statistics and political accounts of a rollercoaster journey fraught with problems.

The effect on the British public was profound, residents of Wales discovering walks, parks and nature reserves they hadn’t known existed on their doorstep. Birdsong definitely got louder… and remember the sheep enjoying themselves on a roundabout in Monmouthshire? Hayward observes the internal tension that afflicted many: people glad of lockdown in some ways, but missing family terribly as the novelty wore off. Outside a DIY store, a queue grows: “Limited numbers inside the store, Perspex screens at checkouts, card payments only at tills….” Just some of the things we would have to get used to.

Lockdown Wales addresses the vulnerable and elderly, instructed not to go out but unable to secure an online grocery delivery. Food parcels were provided for some of Wales’ most in need, but challenges were faced as well; Hayward interviews consumers who experienced the drudgery of the lockdown most acutely, when simply being able to buy toilet roll, for example, was an impossibility at times.

The book touches on the furlough scheme, which promised hope for businesses but let many slip through the net and ultimately shut down. It looks at parents struggling with home-schooling, desperate to be furloughed so they could look after their kids. Domestic abuse is a subject the book doesn’t skim over: Hayward explores funding, or the lack thereof, for Wales Women’s Aid and the issues created by social distancing mandates creating reduced capacity in refuges. BAME communities’ statistical predilection for contracting Covid is touched on, the challenges faced however shown in a positive light – a cue to affirm that the many other issues facing Wales did not vanish with the onset of coronavirus. Shared stories are what people listen to, Hayward maintains, not numbers.

Inevitably, there have been a wealth of developments in the Covid-19 saga since Lockdown Wales was published in December, but the book concludes by highlighting the diverting paths England and Wales took in lifting the lockdown. An interesting, informative read, it tracks a journey which is prominent in our minds and still raw in our emotions. We can reflect on the past, whilst seeing how the future changes for Wales as this pandemic continues to impact the nation.