UK holds minute’s silence on anniversary of 1st Covid-19 lockdown
London, Mar 23 (efe-epa).- The United Kingdom on Tuesday held a minute’s silence to commemorate the anniversary of the first Covid-19 lockdown and to pay tribute to the victims of the pandemic.
Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who ended up in intensive care with Covid-19 in April last year, offered his “sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones” and described the year as “one of the most difficult in our country’s history.”
“We should also remember the great spirit shown by our nation over this past year,” he added.
“We have all played our part, whether it’s working on the front lines as a nurse or carer, working on vaccine development and supply, helping to get that jab into arms, home schooling your children, or just by staying at home to prevent the spread of the virus.”
Some of the country’s most recognizable landmarks will be lit up later on Tuesday as part of the Day of Reflection ceremonies.
On March 23, 2020, Johnson gave a televised address to announce the lockdown with a straight-forward message: “From this evening, I must give the British people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home.”
According to the latest figures, the UK logged just 17 Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, the lowest number since the end of September.
The country has been one of the worst-hit in Europe, reporting a total of 126,172 deaths since the pandemic began.
More than 27 million UK residents have now received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 2.3 are fully vaccinated.EFE-EPA
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