Public asked to give views as victims and heroes of Covid-19 pandemic to be commemorated

The voices of people from across the UK will be heard as part of plans to commemorate the victims and heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A new commission has been launched by the UK Government tasked with considering how the pandemic’s impact can be remembered.

It will consider proposals from campaign groups and individuals.

Plans to create the commission, led by the UK’s former culture secretary Baroness Nicky Morgan, were previously announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

More than 200,000 deaths involving coronavirus have been registered in the UK, according to the latest figures.

The body will aim to provide opportunities for the public to discuss current plans to remember the victims of the pandemic and to offer fresh suggestions.

It is distinct from the independent Covid-19 public inquiry and it plans to send a report to the next prime minister by the end of March.

Baroness Morgan said the pandemic “touched every aspect” of our lives.

“The commission will lead a UK-wide conversation, hearing from those that lost loved ones and those that contributed so much to the UK-wide response – volunteering at vaccination centres, looking out for neighbours, and working on the frontlines of the NHS, social care and other essential services including food supply and transport,” she said.

“The pandemic touched every aspect of our lives and reached every corner of the country.

“The commission will hear from people across the UK to shape how we can reflect and remember this extraordinary moment in our collective history.”

Cabinet Office minister Lord True added: “Covid-19 has had a profound impact on every aspect of our lives and every corner of the UK.

“It’s essential that everyone in the UK has the opportunity to mourn their loved ones. It is also right that we mark the extraordinary sacrifices that were made by so many.

“From the courage of frontline workers who kept us going, to the genius of those who created the life-saving vaccines, the commission will build a consensus around the measures which will be put in place to tell the story of this period in our history and remembering into the future those we lost.”