Silence fell across the United Kingdom overnight as the country remembered all key workers, including health and care staff who have died during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
At 11am local time, the nation paused to reflect in a minute's silence at hospitals, supermarkets, the streets and even in Downing Street to mark the day a disease brought Britain to a standstill. In London, where 23 transport workers died from Covid-19, bus drivers stood outside depots.
More than 100 NHS and care staff have died from the invisible virus - a pregnant nurse who died before she could meet her daughter, a father of seven whose family says was let down because of a lack of personal protective equipment and a grandmother who colleagues say was one of the unsung heroes of the NHS.
Meanwhile, more grim statistics continue to come out of the UK as new data reveals there has been more than 4343 coronavirus related deaths in care homes so far.
The latest figures released today by the Office of National Statistics and the Care Quality Commission show how deaths in care homes in England and Wales have increased in the past two weeks.
By April 10, there were 1043 deaths. The following week, that number almost tripled to more than 3096.
Across the country, 20,000 care homes look after half a million elderly and disabled people.
There have been a further 586 deaths since yesterday, bringing the total deaths to date in the UK to 21,678.
SHARE ME