Silence marks pandemic lockdown anniversary on ‘poignant day’

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy People fell silent at midday on Thursday to mark lives lost during the pandemic on a “poignant day” marking the third anniversary of the first lockdown. Three wreaths were laid in memory of the lives lost to Covid, and memorial creator Alec Finlay and Scotland’s Makar Kathleen Jamie read excerpts from I Remember, a collection of people’s memories of the pandemic. “Speaking to people, not only members of the group, people I’ve met here today, they seem to think it’s a focal point, somewhere they can go and think about things and basically remember things, so people seem to draw a lot of comfort, they pick a sculpture, and basically they see something in that sculpture to represent those that they have lost, so it’s quite a good way of remembering somebody.” Mr McMahon, from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, added: “I think it’s very, very important Scotland has something like this, we do need to remember all those lost to Covid-19 and all the people that sacrificed in other ways, long Covid, people that didn’t get the proper medical treatment they required because of the Covid pandemic, and all those that actually worked through it and tried to bring the country through it. We hope that people from across Scotland feel as though they can join us here and find solace in this very special place Kevin Frediani, Botanic Garden curator It is believed to be the first botanic garden in the world that marks lives lost during the pandemic, and will also provide a quiet space for anyone wishing to reflect on the life of a loved one.