First Minister John Swinney sends 'deepest condolences' to Covid victims on day of reflection

Scotland’s First Minister has sent his “deepest condolences” to people who lost loved ones during the Covid-19 pandemic.

John Swinney will take part in a service on Sunday to mark the Covid-19 Day of Reflection.

It comes five years after the start of the pandemic, which put the UK into lockdown. With many businesses shut, workers were furloughed and most schoolchildren had to study at home

Across the UK, just under 227,000 people died who had the virus listed as a cause of death – with more than 16,000 in Scotland.

Before Sunday’s service in Glasgow, Swinney said: “In many ways, it is hard to comprehend that it is now five years since the start of the pandemic.”

He said that when Scotland’s first case of Covid-19 was confirmed on March 1 2020, “few could have imagined how quickly it would change every aspect of our lives”.

Sunday’s service comes just over five years after the pandemic arrived in the UK (Andrew Milligan/PA) PA Media

He recalled: “Children stopped going to school, many shops and businesses were closed, and we were no longer able to spend time with friends and family as normal.

“Tragically, thousands of people lost their lives, and I offer my deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones in such difficult circumstances.”

He added it was his “solemn duty as a leader and public servant to mark the Day of Reflection, and to ensure that those who died are remembered”.

Swinney said Sunday’s events, which will see Scottish Government buildings lit in yellow, are a “chance to pause as individuals and communities, to remember loved ones, to reflect on the sacrifices of frontline workers who kept us safe, and to acknowledge those who continue to live with the consequences of the pandemic”.