IT'S a year ago today since two people staying at a York hotel became ill with what were soon to be diagnosed as the UK's first cases of coronavirus.

The world as we know it has changed almost out of recognition in the 12 months since. More than 100,000 people in the UK have died. We've had three lockdowns, businesses have collapsed, workers have been furloughed or laid off, and schools have closed. We've all become wearily familiar with facemasks, social distancing, home working - and seeing friends on Zoom.

It is almost hard to remember what life was like in those innocent, carefree days before Covid struck.

Here, we look back at what was making the headlines in York a year ago. It serves as a reminder that there was life before Covid - and hopefully one day soon, there will be life after it...

January 29, 2020, was a Wednesday. It was York Central MP Rachael Maskell's turn to write the Wednesday column that week.

The headline of her column that day makes almost unbearably poignant reading a year on. "We need hope as new decade dawns," it said.

The big issue of the time was Brexit - Britain had just formally left the EU, although it was to be another year before a trade deal had to be struck. It had been a long, wearying process to get that far, and Rachael's column focussed on what we needed to do to ensure a good future for the UK.

"While people have very different perspectives on this, it is now vital that we do not let it divide us. Europe is an important partner, and we must now focus on building a positive relationship across the EU, securing the rights and freedoms we have enjoyed over the last 40 years," she wrote.

She also looked at some of the wider challenges and opportunities facing York as the new decade dawned. York Central, she wrote, 'has the potential to unlock high quality jobs for the whole city, if wise decisions are made to put the local economy first. If nothing else, the recent suggestion that the House of Lords could move to York demonstrates the enormous potential of the York Central site'.

But there were also real challenges, she added. "We need a health service, and in particular, mental health service, that meets the needs of people across our community. We need to build the homes that people can afford to live in. We need a sustainable transport system that addresses the climate challenges of our time. And above all these, we need to address the structural inequalities that are dividing our city."

The front page of the York Press that day was a given over to a story about a worrying increase in emergency hospital admissions in York for people with dementia - up by 64 per cent in the previous five years.

Elsewhere, we reported that passengers on Transpennine Express trains who failed to buy tickets before their journey could face a penalty of up to £20.

There was the welcome news that music venues in York could see their business rates halved after the Government announced plans to cut rates for some businesses - pubs, restaurants, shops and cinemas may also see their bills slashed, we reported.

And a 'novel new way of getting a guided tour of York' was launched - on a rickshaw. York Carriage Awaits was a new pedicab service that offered a new way to travel around York and see the city’s sights, we reported.

Oh, and the year's first daffodils had bloomed - some on the city walls, and some at the University of York. 'Hint of spring as daffodils bloom - in January!" said our headline. Little did we know that a long Covid winter lay ahead...