AS the seconds tick down on 2020, it's comforting to know that the oft-hellish start to the decade is nearly over.

What's less comforting is the recognition that Covid-19 is far from over — with Matt Hancock's announcing just before Christmas that two new variants of the virus were in the UK which both spread more rapidly.

Even with the vaccine roll-out ongoing and set to accelerate, the pandemic will still play a major role in our lives in 2021.

So, at the dawn of a mass-vaccination programme and the prospect of another lockdown to halt the new virus variants, it's worth asking: how did we get here?

Spring

The first signs of Covid in Cheshire came in late January, when Knutsford man Matt Raw quarantined in Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, having recently returned from Wuhan — the Chinese city which is thought to be where the virus originated.

He exited his isolation period just before Valentine's Day, but it was in late February when the pandemic really started to bite.

That came when Northwich's Cransley School was closed over fears that a ski trip to Italy had brought the disease back to Cheshire.

And Cheshire's first confirmed Covid-19 case was another resident returning from Italy, with a Warringtonian testing positive on March 11.

Sadly, just three days later, the county saw its first Covid-19 death, after a man in his 80s with underlying health conditions passed away at the Countess of Chester.

He was the 21st coronavirus death in the UK. As of December 23, there have been 69,030 more people to succumb to the illness.

From this point, much of the effect of pandemic on the borough was dictated nationally, as Boris Johnson announced the UK would go into its first lockdown from March 23.

One month later, human vaccine trials started down in Oxford, testing facilities opened up at Leighton Hospital for key workers, and Daneside Court care home confirmed a number of residents had passed away from 'suspected coronavirus'.

Summer

May came in with the news that the UK now had the capacity to test 100,000 people daily, and that Cheshire's death figures had slowly started to fall, as had its case numbers — largely as a result of the first lockdown's limits on social contact.

It was in the middle of this month in which the Prime Minister announced that some measures would be relaxed, including the return to work for some firms.

It was also at this time in which CWAC was chosen as one of the first parts of Britain to use the new NHS Track and Trace service — which would lead to political tensions with Westminster down the line.

In June, some school years went back to the classroom, and non-essential retail opened up, as case numbers in Cheshire East and Cheshire West passed the 2,500 mark combined.

Pubs, restaurants, barbers and places of worship opened up their doors on July 4, which was also the weekend that figure above passed 4,000 — a stark reminder in hindsight that even when cases were at their lowest, with CEC recording no cases on July 11 and CWAC scoring zero on July 6, they could climb rapidly.

Later in the month, mask-wearing became mandatory in shops, and more restrictions were imposed on the north west, with ministers banning household mixing indoors in Greater Manchester from July 30.

August began with CWAC Director of Public Health Ian Ashworth pleading with residents to follow the guidance in order to 'prevent local lockdowns'.

Days later, with more northern areas gaining restrictions, leading members of the education community warned against reopening schools and universities.

Autumn

September was the month in which cases climbed. In CWAC, there were 9 new cases on September 1 — and 64 new cases on the last day of the month.

In light of this, CWAC's leaders warned that it was the last chance to stop a local lockdown — but stated they would not ask for more regulations from the government.

Over in CEC, it started September with 16 new cases and ended with 57 on September 30, as council leaders toyed with the idea of asking for extra measures to be implemented.

October saw an almighty stand-off between Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and the government over its support for areas entering the toughest local restrictions — which culminated in the formalisation of the Tier system we know, love, and abide by today.

Initially, CEC and CWAC were placed in Tier 2, although many of its neighbours were in tougher positions.

Winter

The end of October hinted at a new national lockdown — dubbed a 'circuit-breaker'.

The dawn of November saw in a new four-week lockdown, which helped to ease pressure on the NHS — but also saw the emergence of a new variant of the virus which is thought to be much more easily spread, although no more harmful.

When England left lockdown, it used an updated version of the Tier system, with both CWAC and CEC staying in Tier 2 — albeit these rules were now more stringent.

And they were to get even stricter, as case numbers rocketed before Christmas, leading Cheshire and Warrington to be in Tier 3 from Boxing Day.