St George's Hall hosts Covid-19 reflection event
It is five years since the pandemic began
St George's Hall has been transformed into a venue for people to remember loved ones lost during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Today marks five years since the pandemic began.
The hall has been decorated with with paper lanterns, representing the challenges people lived with during the pandemic - whether that be the loss of a loved one, isolation, economic hardship or mental health struggles - whilst also acknowledging the resilience people showed throughout.
There is also a book of commemoration for people to leave any messages.
Carol Ward from Ormskirk is one of those attending.
Carol said:
"I lost my husband in April 2022 to Covid. We weren't allowed to celebrate his life, it was just really bad how things went.
"He was in hospital, just went in for investigations - found out he had gall stones and then he caught pneumonia and then caught Covid. They shut down the hospital on the 17th of March and my husband died on the 2nd of April. I never got in to see him , only or ten minutes before he died.
"It was just so devastating"
"It was just so devastating because you couldn't celebrate his life and he was loved by all of his family and friends and we were only allowed ten people at the funeral.
"The people who lost their families, that lost their lives, we can all get together and they're the only people that seem to realise what you've gone through.
"Everything was done online and you weren't allowed to see anybody, so we all know what happened and no=one seems to understand the devastation we all went through."
People can attend between 10am and 4pm.
Leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Liam Robinson, said:
"Five years ago the world changed and were all feeling that ripple-effect today.
"It was an incredibly tough time for Liverpool - case rates and deaths were high, businesses were under huge pressure to stay afloat and people were lonely and fearful of what could happen - it was a chapter of history which we will never forget.
"But throughout this extraordinary crisis, the true spirit of Liverpool shone through, communities came together to help and support one another. The city stepped forward, blazing a trail for others to follow when it came to mass testing and paving the way for large cultural events to start welcoming people once again - things we should all be proud of.
Director of Public Health for Liverpool City Council, Matthew Ashton, said:
"Every single one of us has been affected by Covid. The intensity of our shared experience should never be underestimated - along with the disease itself, we had to juggle not being able to see our family and friends, social distancing, wearing face coverings, working from home, home schooling - all of which have impacted on our individual mental health and wellbeing, and on the health and economic prosperity of our city overall.
"Thankfully we are well into our recovery journey and one of the most important lessons we have learnt is the power of strong communities and partnerships. Throughout, stakeholders from across the city have worked closely with health professionals to ensure the best outcomes for our communities, and although the pandemic may be over, these partnerships will continue to provide support in the recovery phase.
"Liverpool's event is a way for us to process what has happened over the past five years and I encourage people to take time out of their day to honour those we lost and celebrate all of our remarkable achievements during this unprevented period."