REFLECTIONS of Reading during the Covid-19 pandemic have been documented in print, with a special focus on the Royal Berkshire Hospital's late 'hero' doctor, Peter Tun.
As part of a compelling set of 59 essays painting a picture of the most remarkable and unprecedented period in modern times, ITV News Meridian presenter Sangeeta Bharbra has written about how Reading coped in the early stages of the outbreak.
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She recalls in the piece the devastating moment when her personal and professional worlds collided on air as she had to report the death of a brilliant doctor, Doctor Peter Tun at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, who had cared for her father after his devastating stroke.
While her co-presenter, Fred Dinenage, reluctantly stayed at home when over 70s were told to self-isolate, Sangeeta admits that being at work was a relief from her caring responsibilities at home where her brother has severe autism and cerebral palsy.
She writes about the extra pressures the coronavirus created for families like hers, as well as describing the moment she had to report of Doctor Tun's death.
In My Professional Pandemic, on page 85 of Reporting coronavirus: Personal reflections on a Global Crisis, Sangeeta details the early stages of the pandemic on both a personal and professional level; she also expresses her gratitude to the NHS.
"Being classified as a key worker was a mental life saver", she explains in one section.
"I was fortunate enough to escape the pressures at home to the familiar, but also 'not-as-I-knew-it', ITV Meridian newsroom and studio at Whiteley in Hampshire."
She talks Doctor Peter Tun's dedication, adding that he was regular viewer who 'asked affectionately' about Fred Dinenage.
She describes him as having been "excellent at his job".
You can read the full essay in Reporting coronavirus: Personal reflections on a Global Crisis.
The book was published on October 1.
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