Your Voice, Your BBC News

For some, the pandemic came at a period of significant change.

Sophie, 22, Bristol began university during this time - explaining that her first year was "pretty much entirely online".

She describes keeping in touch with friends by watching films through video calls together or creating quizzes.

"The pandemic really changed the trajectory of my life but I wouldn't be who I am today if it hadn't happened," she adds.

9 January 2020 marked the first confirmed death resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic globally.

China reported on the death two days later - a 61-year-old male who had been a resident of Wuhan.

Just weeks later, by 28 January, the global death toll had surpassed 100.

In the UK, more than 44 million were estimated to have contracted the virus between April 2020 and February 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Just under 227,000 people died with Covid-19 listed as one of the causes on their death certificate.

Looking at it another way, the number of "excess deaths" was a metric that was used to demonstrate how many deaths took place above the five year average.

In the three years to February 2023, the UK's death rates went up by more than 5%.

Strict new curbs on life in the UK to tackle the spread of coronavirus were announced on 24 March 2020 by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

People were told to only leave home to exercise once a day, travel to and from work when it was "absolutely necessary", shop for essential items and fulfil any medical or care needs.

Shops selling non-essential goods were told to shut and gatherings in public of more than two people who do not live together would be prohibited.

If people did not follow the rules police had the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.

Johnson said the restrictions would be in place for at least three weeks and the country faced a "moment of national emergency".

Your Voice, Your BBC News

Your Voice, Your BBC News was launched to get our audience – you – more involved in our coverage and to tell your stories.

Lockdown was a time when our own lives became the news – we were all part of the biggest story across the world.

Our hobbies and who we did and didn’t see were suddenly newsworthy.

We want to hear your memories of lockdown – happy and fun as well as sad.

What you did, how you felt and how it changed your lives.

Get in touch at www.bbc.co.uk/yourvoice, email bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp 07980 682727.

Jamie Whitehead
Live reporter

It feels like another world now, doesn't it?

Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressing the nation telling us we could only leave our homes for "very limited reasons".

Overnight, living rooms were transformed into classrooms as our children's lessons went virtual, supermarket deliveries were booked up weeks in advance and the only way we could see friends and family was on Zoom.

My family even had our pet cat delivered in a no-contact delivery.

There was banana bread, quizzes, and what felt like the warmest spring time weather we'd ever had as the analogue world became a virtual one.

But there was also isolation, people not being able to say goodbye to their loved ones at the end of their lives, and not knowing when - or if - life would ever be the same again.

Today, we're sharing your reflections of life under lockdown as well as looking back at the rules, and memorable moments of that time.

We want to hear from you, and details on how to get in touch will be in the next post.