COVID-19

COVID-19, (PROSE: The Invasion of London) originally known as Corona Virus Disease 2019, (WC: U.N.I.T. On Call) was an infectious and deadly disease, caused by a virus which spread on Earth during 2020. (PROSE: Sweet Revenge)

To mitigate the spread of the pandemic, (PROSE: Sweet Revenge) individuals remained in isolation, a lockdown, (PROSE: The Invasion of London, Sweet Revenge) though if a person did need to go out, then they had to keep 2 metres apart, wear face masks and use hand sanitiser. (PROSE: 8.46)

People communicated over the internet using video chat programs such as Zoom, (WC: The Zygon Isolation) VidChatX, (WC: The Descendants of Pompeii) and Whoosh!. (PROSE: Copy/Paste. Sweet Revenge)

Origins
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The long lockdown
At the beginning of 2020, a version of Yvonne Hartman from Pete's World, (AUDIO: Poker Face, The Empty Hand, et al.) released a public broadcast where she warned the populace of the "unprecedented times" ahead, telling them to self-isolate, or there would be consequences. (WC: Incoming Message) The Thirteenth Doctor also sent a similar message from inside a wardrobe, telling those who recieved the message to know that they could "get through this" even if things looked bad, to keep spirits high by telling jokes, to be kind, as well as to look out for friends and family, to listen to doctors, and finally to stay strong, as she promised to be back "very soon". (WC: Message from the Doctor)

Lockdown in Ogmore-by-Sea began by 24 March. (PROSE: Copy/Paste)

On 10 May, Petronella Osgood and her Zygon duplicate kept in touch during lockdown, using Zoom to converse while isolating. After their chat, they watched the BBC television series Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer. (WC: The Zygon Isolation) On 17 May, Evie and Maxine also conversed during their self isolation, though using a different video chat application called VidChatX. (WC: The Descendants of Pompeii)

The Grandfathers sent a plant to attack Lucy Wilson. (PROSE: Flower Power) Donna Price treated three COVID-19 patients in the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend. (PROSE: The Edge of Glory)

During the crisis, Conall was furloughed while Dean got a temporary job in at Tesco Extra. Conall and Lucy spoke a lot during this time, and he told her that he and Dean were thinking of moving to Cardiff once the lockdown was over, to be nearer to his family. (PROSE: The Invasion of London)

The murder of George Floyd occurred during the pandemic and, despite the lockdown, it sparked mass protests across the United States and United Kingdom. When Lucy and Hobo joined the peaceful protests in Ogmore-by-Sea, they wore face masks, carried a bottle of hand sanitiser, and made sure to stay two metres away from other people. (PROSE: 8.46) Bill Potts attended a similar march in Bristol, noting that people kept their distance and remained calm while protesting. (WC: The Best of Days)

The Third Doctor knew that COVID-19 impacted the Earth in 2020. During late 2020, a Doctor Who fan somehow called UNIT in the 1970s, to get advice about how to handle COVID-19 now that UNIT had been suspended. (WC: U.N.I.T. On Call)

However, other accounts seemed to suggest that there was no pandemic and that life was going on normally. (AUDIO: Stranded 2, TV: Revolution of the Daleks, et al.)

Delays in production history
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Affected releases
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Information from invalid sources
Strax once horded toilet paper. (NOTVALID: Strax Saves the Day)