BISHOP Auckland MP Dehenna Davison returned to her County Durham constituency at the end of last week after seven days in self-isolation, after showing coronavirus symptoms.

Here she tells us how she managed to work from her London flat, overcome toilet roll and sanitary item issues and filled her downtime.

I must admit, the first hour or so after being told I should self isolate came as a bit of a relief – it meant a clear diary for once!

However, walking back to the flat, trying to stay as far away from people as possible, I thought through the implications.

Was there enough food in the cupboards? Wasn’t I down to my last toilet roll? How would people react to me cancelling face to face surgeries? Could I still support people properly by phone, email, and Skype alone?

By the end of day one, I was bored.

The Northern Echo:

I’d spent all day working on screens, and wanted nothing more than to go out for a walk to distress. But I pushed on, then relaxed by rewatching some Sex and the City – an old guilty pleasure – and managed to order an online shop.

On day two, my delivery arrived, but without loo roll, and I had been caught short on sanitary items. After a frantic call, they were both dropped off a few hours later by one of my team. Phew.

I also deep cleaned my flat to try and make it a more pleasant place to be trapped.

On day three, the weather outside was glorious. All I wanted was to go for a walk or sit in a park. Instead, I opened my windows wide, put on a Spotify playlist a friend sent through, and got to work.

From then on, most days were filled with work, office video calls, music, Sex and the City, and a huge jigsaw that I still need to finish.

I had moments of loneliness, but friends were only a call or FaceTime away. Our team even found a phone game we could play together from home on an evening.

I was moved by the generosity showed by friends and family – both in time spent on calls, and treats arriving on my doorstep.

Even so, there was no better feeling than taking that first step outside.

The experience has made me even more determined to help my local community through the Coronavirus pandemic.

My team and I are ready - so let us know what you need.