LONDON: Britain on Tuesday marked the anniversary of its first coronavirus lockdown with a minute’s silence in tribute to the more than 126,000 people who have died — one of the world’s worst tolls.
The “National Day of Reflection” saw the silence observed in parliament and across the UK at noon (1200 GMT), followed by bells ringing to mourn the dead and honour frontline health workers.
Members of the public were encouraged to stand on their doorsteps at 8:00 pm (2000GMT) with lit phones, candles or torches to signify a “beacon of remembrance”.
Queen Elizabeth II, forced to spend much of the year out of the public eye, and her eldest son and heir Prince Charles led the tributes.
The 94-year-old monarch called for reflection “on the grief and loss that continues to be felt by so many people and families,” and paid tribute to “the immeasurable service of those who have supported us all over the last year”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a lockdown on March 23 last year, shutting schools, non-essential shops and services, and banning gatherings of more than two people. “From this evening, I must give the British people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home,” Johnson said a year ago, announcing the most stringent restrictions on public life since World War II.
He warned then that “many lives sadly will be lost” — though the death toll today stands far beyond any of the worst predictions of British scientists or politicians a year ago.
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