The first major public sign that there was a growing problem with coronavirus in Leicester was Monday 8 June.
In the east of the city, Humberstone Academy, which runs an infant and junior school, closed its doors with the head teacher explaining it was linked to positive tests for coronavirus. They briefly re-opened the following day, before being closed again.
The schools have not reopened since. Over the next two weeks, over 900 confirmed cases were recorded - one in 16 of all the positive tests seen in the UK.
The east of the city appears to be the epicentre of this local outbreak. The area includes streets with tightly packed terraced housing, and has a high proportion of ethnic minority families where multi-generational living is more common.
Health officials on the ground in Leicester suggest there are other issues at play too. There seems to be signs of transmission in workplaces, suggesting social distancing guidelines are not been adhered to as well as they should, and also transient workers passing through.
Cases are being seen now in other parts of the city, which is what has prompted ministers and local officials to take action.
"Should action have been taken sooner?" is a key question - and one that is already being asked. Even at this early stage, it is clear to see the signs have been there for a few weeks at least.
Over the weekend the city mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, was saying the authorities there had only received limited data from the government and national testing system.
This goes to the heart of what many fear is a weakness in the system in England - the way the national test and trace system connects up with local teams.
Complex cases involving schools, care homes and prisons for example, are automatically transferred down to local public health teams, involving councils and Public Health England.
But individuals are dealt with by the national team. They ask for information from them about their close contacts and ask them to isolate.
Comprehensive information about these cases is not passed down to councils. Essentially it means they cannot monitor all local cases to see what patterns are emerging.