Coronavirus: 100 days that changed the world (part 2)

After spreading from China into parts of east Asia, the coronavirus hit Europe with a major cluster in northern Italy. But while much of the continent scrambled to shut down cities, Britain left it late to go into lockdown. Michael Safi and Patrick Wintour continue the story of the outbreak’s first 100 days

Having spread through China and then into neighbouring countries, by March the coronavirus had gone global and was formally declared a pandemic before the middle of the month. In Europe, it was Italy that recorded the first major cluster of cases and soon some of its hospitals were overwhelmed with patients requiring intensive care.

The Guardian’s Michael Safi and Patrick Wintour join Anushka Asthana to continue the story of the first 100 days of the worst global health crisis in a generation. (Listen to part 1 here.)

As most of the rest of Europe followed China’s lead in enforcing lockdowns of citizens, Britain held out. But as the crisis worsened, it was forced to eventually enforce a shutdown. Now, as the prime minister, Boris Johnson, is himself seriously ill with the virus, governments around the world are desperately searching for a way out of the crisis amid a scramble for accurate testing kits and the race for a vaccine.

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