Bereaved families and communities nationwide have come together to reflect on and mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Events have been taking place across the UK to remember those who died – and to pay tribute to frontline health staff, social care workers, volunteers and researchers who played crucial roles.
There were emotional scenes in towns and cities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as the pain, grief, compassion and sacrifice of those difficult times were remembered.
The deadly virus shut down the world after it began to spread from Wuhan in China at the beginning of 2020.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said for many “there is deep grief and loss that may never be relieved”.
“Today, we come together to remember, reflect and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by people across our country,” he wrote in a post on social media.
Families walked along the National Covid Memorial Wall in central London, led by a Highland piper.
People could be heard crying as they passed around 3,000 photos of the faces of some of those who died – representing just over 1% of the total death toll in the UK, organisers said.
A minute’s silence was held after the chimes of Big Ben and long-stemmed red carnations were cast into the River Thames.
The event was brought to an end with a song from a choir and a salute on the river from a London Fire Brigade fireboat.
Lynn Jones fought back tears as she remembered her “fit and healthy” 66-year-old husband Gareth, “a loved principal” in their hometown of Stoke on Trent, who died after “spending seven weeks in hospital battling the virus on his own”.
She told those gathered at the event: “For me, this wall is an expression of so many emotions – rage, love, grief, pain and unbearable sadness. It is also important as an expression of democracy, because this is what the people affected most by the pandemic feel.
“It is a message to those across the water that this is what happens when you get it wrong. It should stay as a constant reminder of the impact of government decisions.”
Tributes were also paid to the critical role played by the NHS, its workforce and charities during the pandemic, at an event at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. It commemorates the thousands of people who died.
Singer Lesley Garrett was among the performers and the difficult days during the pandemic were recalled in testimonials from NHS staff, patients, volunteers and senior healthcare figures including chief nursing officer Duncan Burton.
Author Michael Rosen – who contracted the coronavirus just months after the COVID-19 outbreak and was in hospital for 48 days in intensive care, including around 40 in an induced coma – spoke at the event.
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The children’s writer, poet and broadcaster, who is still having to live with the consequences and suffers from long COVID, told Sky News: “All ages have been affected by COVID, so plenty for many people to be thinking about today.”
Reflecting on his own experience, he added: “The care was amazing. The last thing I remember was a doctor standing by my bed and saying would I sign a piece of paper that would allow them to put me to sleep.
“I said, ‘Will I wake up?’, and they said, ‘You’ve got a 50/50 chance’. I said, ‘What if I don’t sign?’, and they said, ‘Zero’. So I signed.”
Asked if people needed to be reminded of the work of those who put their own lives on the line to help those affected, he replied: “Yes, we must remember every day they are saving lives.
“We forget health workers died during the pandemic… and they were in a situation where the viral load was huge.”
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Liverpool’s St George’s Hall was the city’s focal point for the day’s activities, while a commemoration, speeches and a screening of the Stories From The Pandemic documentary were part of events planned in Sheffield.
A piper, choir and a minute’s silence were part of an event at Glasgow Green, hosted by Covid-19 Families Scotland.
Doves were released at the event, which also included a wreath being laid, a plaque unveiling and individual yellow roses being left in memory of loved ones.
Across the UK, just under 227,000 people died who had the virus listed as a cause of death – with more than 16,000 in Scotland.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s memorial service, Mr Swinney said: “Children stopped going to school, many shops and businesses were closed, and we were no longer able to spend time with friends and family as normal.
“Tragically, thousands of people lost their lives, and I offer my deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones in such difficult circumstances.”
In Treorchy, South Wales, families remembered their loved ones by placing named flags in a yellow heart made from local stones.
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A group set up by bereaved families during the pandemic, called Memory Stones of Love, planned a remembrance concert in Belfast, including music, poetry and readings.
There were also plans for City Hall to be lit up in yellow this evening to mark the national day of reflection.
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The annual day is one of the recommendations set out by the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration.
Its chairwoman Baroness Morgan of Cotes said: “It is right that, as a country, we take the time to remember the Covid-19 pandemic, to reflect on what happened, remember those whose lives were impacted in so many ways and honour those who tragically lost their lives.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “The pandemic impacted us all in different ways, with many sadly losing loved ones and others making great sacrifices in their lives.”
She said she hoped the day would “allow people the space and time to reflect”.
