Candlelit tribute to city’s 500 pandemic victims
A TOTAL of 500 people in Nottingham have now died due to coronavirus.
It was announced the city had hit the “tragic milestone” yesterday.
Ongoing recording of deaths shows the total was reached in Nottingham this week, at the same time as the national death total passed 100,000.
The Council House in Nottingham will go dark and 500 candles will be lit as a mark of respect for the people who have died. The tribute will take place in the coming days the city council is expected to confirm the exact date today.
Councillor David Mellen, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “This is a tragic milestone for our city. It is hard to put into words how much of a toll this virus is taking on our lives - the impact of each and every one of these deaths is devastating.
“When we all locked down for the first time in March last year, no one could have predicted that we would see such an awful loss of life.
“We cannot underestimate the effects this has on families, friends and our communities, as people have lost sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers.
“I believe it is important that we honour every single one of these city residents. We will switch off the lights of the Council House in their memory. Nottingham will not forget them.
“I would ask everyone in the city to take a moment to stop what they are doing and think about those people who are no longer with us as a result of Covid-19.”
The public are not encouraged to attend the event due to Covid restrictions currently in place.
Alison Challenger, Director of Public Health in Nottingham, said: “Our number one priority during the Covid-19 pandemic has been to keep people safe.
“The City Council has worked with the NHS and partners across Nottingham to make sure we all follow the latest guidance, stop the spread of the virus and support those people who need our help the most. We must continue to do this. The number of deaths from Covid-19 shows how real this virus is.
“By continuing to follow the guidance on ‘Hands, Face, Space’ and by getting a test for Covid-19 when we have symptoms of the virus, we are protecting ourselves and others.”