Families gather to remember Covid victims at Glasgow Green five years on from coronavirus pandemic

Families have gathered to mark the Covid-19 day of reflection, five years on since the start of the outbreak.

The First Minister joined families in Glasgow Green on Sunday to commemorate those who died and those affected by the pandemic.

Among them was Connie McCready, who lost her fiancé Jim after he spent 35 days in intensive care fighting coronavirus.

Connie lost her fiancé Jim during the pandemic. STV News

She told STV News: “It was horrendous. It was probably a week and a half before he died that we found out about Near Me, which was a vide through the NHS and I was actually able to see him and be able to talk.

“Even though he was in a coma, I was still able to talk to him and see him. But that doesn’t even comfort me in any way than being there and holding his hand and telling him everything was going to be ok. I couldn’t do that.”

More than 17,000 people in Scotland died with Covid listed as one of the causes on their death certificate.

But it wasn’t just those who lost loved ones who were affected.

Families gathered to remember Covid victims five years on from pandemic at Glasgow Green. STV News

Those with family isolating in care homes are still grieving the loss of time spent with loved ones, but hope lessons have been learned.

Cathie Russell’s mum had been living in a care home during the beginning of the outbreak.

She said: “My mum hadn’t been in care for very long when Covid happened and I was completely heartbroken at not getting to see her.

“I had been looking after my mum for quite a number of years and was very very close to her. I really missed her. In a way, I experienced a lot of grief then.”

Cathie Russell wasn't able to see her mother, who was in a care home. — Cathie Russell wasn’t able to see her mother, who was in a care home. STV News

After a minute’s silence, five doves were released to mark each year since the outbreak.

Connie added: “The day is about remembering everybody. The whole world was affected by this, whether you lost someone, whether it was mental health, whether it was just the fact that you were in lockdown for so long, it touched every single person in the world. That’s what this is about, its about remembering everyone through the pandemic.”

The First Minister joined families laying down wreaths by a plaque put in place to commemorate those who died.

John Swinney laid a wreath at the memorial event. STV News

John Swinney said: “We were in a situation where there wasn’t a manual for what was involved, there wasn’t an outline about what was going to happen, we had to use the best available evidence at the time and to make our judgements.

“I think that reliance on good evidence to form good judgements is the principle lesson I would learn and also the importance of ensuring that in all of the things you do as a government minister, you have understanding and empathy for the circumstances of others, because it is other people in the country that you are serving.”

While the pandemic may now seem like a distant memory to some, for others it is a pivotal part of their lives.

On Sunday, people are being asked to light a candle for those who died and to mark the day of reflection.