Six weeks ago, when I was preparing my last article life was proceeding almost as normal. Yes, there were new instructions about self-isolating if we had a persistent cough or fever. And certain essentials were disappearing off the shelves far more quickly than usual. But most of us were still going about our daily lives as normal, albeit with a sense that a public health crisis was looming on the horizon.

There was even cautious optimism about the economy, which was reflected in the Budget. Rishi Sunak had announced that the spending taps were to be turned on again following a decade of austerity. We would see large scale investments in roads, rail and broadband and a new £12.2bn affordable homes programme.

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