UK reflects on 'grief and loss,' a year from first lockdown
The U.K. has a lot to reflect on a year after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson first announced that the country would go into lockdown to slow the fast-spreading coronavirus
March 23, 2021, 12:31 PM
5 min read
FILE - In this Tuesday, March 24, 2020 file photo an almost empty Westminster Bridge stands backdropped by the early morning sun on the scaffolded Houses of Parliament and the Elizabeth Tower, known as Big Ben, on the first day of Britain's first lockdown to try to fight the spread of coronavirus, in London. The U.K. has a lot to reflect on a year after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson first announced that the country would be put into a lockdown to deal with the fast-spreading coronavirus. It has seen more than 126,000 coronavirus-related deaths, more than any other in Europe and the fifth highest worldwide. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
LONDON -- The U.K. has a lot to reflect on.
A year to the day since Prime Minister Boris Johnson first put the country under lockdown to slow the fast-spreading coronavirus, a national day of reflection has been organized by the end-of-life charity Marie Curie to remember the people who died after contracting COVID-19.
The U.K. has registered more than 126,000 virus-related deaths, the highest pandemic death toll in Europe and one of the highest in the world as a proportion of population.
“As we look forward to a brighter future together, today we pause to reflect on the grief and loss that continues to be felt by so many people and families, and pay tribute to the immeasurable service of those who have supported us all over the last year," Queen Elizabeth II said in a note accompanying a bouquet of flowers sent to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in the City of London, where her husband, Prince Philip, was recently treated for a heart condition.
The country observed a minute’s silence at noon to remember those who have died after contracting the virus. Later, people are being encouraged to stand on their doorsteps at 8 p.m. with phones, candles and flashlights to signify a “beacon of remembrance.”
London’s skyline will turn yellow when landmarks including the London Eye, Trafalgar Square and Wembley Stadium light up at nightfall. Other notable buildings that will be illuminated include Cardiff Castle and Belfast City Hall. Churches and cathedrals plan to toll bells, light thousands of candles and offer prayers.
“Today, the anniversary of the first lockdown, is an opportunity to reflect on the past year — one of the most difficult in our country’s history," Johnson said. “We should also remember the great spirit shown by our nation over this past year."
Few foresaw the scale of death and grief to come when Johnson, in a prime-time televised address on March 23, 2020, issued a “very simple instruction” for the British people to stay at home.
Johnson, who within days of issuing the stay-at-home order tested positive for the virus and eventually ended up in intensive care at a London hospital, has faced criticism for delaying the first lockdown. Italy had been the first European country to go into lockdown earlier in March 2020, followed by most of the rest of the continent.
The delay, many argue, led to the U.K. recording the most deaths in Europe during the first wave of the pandemic, despite the valiant efforts of people working in the National Health Service, which has undoubtedly endured its most difficult period since its creation in the aftermath of World War II.
Further delays in reimposing nationwide lockdowns following the easing of restrictions over the summer and fall have similarly been blamed for exacerbating Britain's high coronavirus death toll, especially this year, when a new, more contagious variant of the virus first identified in southeast England became the dominant strain.
Calls are growing, particularly among bereaved families, for the government to back a public enquiry into its handling of the pandemic. Johnson has said one will come but that it would be a distraction now.
Beyond the devastating death toll, the pandemic has seriously impacted every aspect of day-to-day life, most evident in the boarded-up shops and the eerily quiet city centers.
Children have spent many months cooped up at home with their often-agitated parents and siblings also struggling to deal with the realities of life under lockdown.
