As we move into 2021, our CGTN Europe correspondents talk to us about an unprecedented year of change..

COVID-19 changed our lives forever, and across Europe each country experienced it differently. We speak to five reporters who were on the frontlines reporting on the virus, and ask them how they tried to make sense of an epidemic that would change the world forever.

We start with Toni Waterman who arrived in Brussels in March. She explains how eerie the empty streets of Brussels were - and how she tried to cover the pandemic [01:13].

Ross Cullen arrived in Paris in January a few weeks before the coverage of the virus became all-consuming.  Ross explains what it was like to visit Italy during the height of the lockdown in March and how the country struggled to deal with COVID-19 [03:02].

In Spain, Rahul Pathak covered how the pandemic changed the way cities looked and operated. He recalls where he was when he started to feel the impact of the virus and how Spanish culture had to adapt to new restrictions [04:27]. Rahul also reflects on how the virus helped to bring political parties together and cooperate [15:07].

In the UK, Nawied Jabarkhyl tells us what it was like during the pandemic and how difficult it was to find positive news stories while new COVID-19 infection numbers kept climbing [14:09].

Linda Kennedy in Budapest, tells us about reporting on COVID-19 in Hungary’s capital city and the controversy over vaccines as many Hungarians want to have a greater say in which vaccine is delivered in their country [17:35].