Covid-19 Day of Reflection in Shropshire

Shropshire Star

Sunday, March 9 2025, is the Day of Reflection across the UK for the COVID-19 pandemic. People and communities are invited to come together to mark the day in ways that feel meaningful to them.  In the county town, a Covid-19 commemorative sculpture by Shropshire artist Paul Kennedy has been put on display in Shrewsbury Abbey. Shropshire Council leader, Lezley Picton, was joined by executive director of public health, Rachel Robinson, in the Abbey, to explain the importance of coming together in collective remembrance.  Video: Shropshire Council

Transcript

00:00This is the COVID-19 commemorative sculpture by Paul Kennedy and we're here in the setting

00:23of Shrewsbury Abbey.

00:27Today is the COVID-19 Day of Reflection. It seems almost incredible that it was five years

00:34ago since the COVID-19 outbreak took real hold, but today gives us an opportunity to

00:41think about those who passed away, to think about the impact it had on families.

00:46Today is a huge opportunity to stand here and say thanks to everybody who came and who

00:50stood up and supported the response to the pandemic, whether that was volunteers, whether

00:54that was staff, whether that was people in the communities.

00:57Those teachers, those nurses, those doctors, all of the services, our own care services,

01:04all of those people really, really, really helped and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

01:10We continue to live with the impacts and obviously we still have things in place, vaccinations,

01:15hand spit, face to face, all of that that will help us continue to respond to this and

01:20to future pandemics should they arise.

01:23We know that it continues to impact significantly on individuals through long COVID, through

01:28the trauma that people went through, through that period, and so it's an opportunity to

01:32recognise the impact that it still has.

01:34We stand here today, we reflect, we remember and we say thank you.

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