He paid tribute “to them, the grief counsellors, charity workers and friends and families, as we pause to remember those we have lost.” Johnson, who was hospitalized in intensive care with COVID-19 in April 2020, said he had seen “first-hand the heroic efforts” of medical personnel. “Those lost to COVID will never be out of our hearts and minds, and today we reflect as a nation,” Johnson said in a message to mark the anniversary. A minute’s silence was held at noon (1200GMT), and people were encouraged to show flowers or shine a light in their window at 8 p.m. Members of bereaved families on Wednesday tied yellow ribbons to Westminster Bridge beside Parliament, near a memorial wall for pandemic victims emblazoned with thousands of hand-painted hearts. With civic freedoms restored but new confirmed cases rising once again, Wednesday was designated a day of reflection on a pandemic that has claimed almost 164,000 lives in the U.K., the highest COVID-19 death toll in Europe after Russia.īritain also had one of the developed world’s deepest economic downturns as the pandemic closed down swaths of the economy. The stringent measures lasted for about three months, and on-off restrictions continued until early this year. The strict lockdown imposed on Mashut offices, schools, restaurants, shops and playgrounds, and people who did not work in essential jobs only were allowed outside for exercise and limited tasks. New restrictions affecting two million people came into force in the north-east of England on Friday, and ministers are reported to be considering fresh restrictions for Leeds and most of Lancashire.īut gains for mining stocks and retailers offset losses to limit declines on the FTSE, with demand in Asia and UK online retail sales boosting confidence.LONDON - Britain paused Wednesday to remember the thousands of lives lost to the coronavirus in the two years since Prime Minister Boris Johnson plunged the country into its first lockdown with the command: “You must stay at home.” Leading housebuilders Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey also took a hit, with confidence, sales, construction and supply chains all potentially under threat from tighter restrictions.ģ,395 new cases were reported in the UK on Thursday, and Wednesday saw the highest number of new cases reported in a day since May. “Banks already face the prospect of rising bad debts, so a derailment to the country’s fight for economic recovery would be negative for the banking sector.” “The government wants to avoid economic disruption, but clearly a return to tighter lockdown measures next month would disrupt businesses and put further pressure on jobs,” added Mould. NatWest ( NWG.L) shares dropped 2.9%, AND Barclays ( BARC.L) shed 2.5%. Other coronavirus-sensitive sectors reliant on the UK economy also took a hit, including banking and housebuilding. READ MORE: BA ‘no longer plans to fire and re-hire staff’ Catering giant Compass Group ( CPG.L) lost 2.4%. Leisure stocks also took a hit on fears of a hospitality shutdown, with pub group Wetherspoon ( JDW.L) down 4.8% at one point but paring back losses to 1.2% close to the end of the day. “It would dash any hopes of a half-term getaway,” he added. “Amid growing chatter about a potential two-week nationwide lockdown in October in the UK, it was perhaps no surprise to see investors lose interest in stocks that could be negatively affected by such activity,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell. In the hotel sector, Premier Inn owner Whitbread ( WTB.L) lost 1.9%, and Intercontinental Hotels ( IHG.L) shed 4.1% by mid-afternoon in the UK. READ MORE: European stocks dip on rising infections and central banks holding fireĬruise giant Carnival ( CCL.L) was down 6.9%, plane engine maker Rolls-Royce ( RR.L) lost 4%, Carnival ( CCL.L) dropped 4%.
Other airlines plummeted, with EasyJet ( EZJ.L) down 8%, WizzAir ( WIZZ.L) down 4.8% and Ryanair ( RYA.L) shedding 4%. Britain’s FTSE 100 ( ^FTSE) shed 0.5%, with the Bank of England’s decision on Thursday to hold fire on fresh stimulus also weighing on markets.īut concerns over rising infection rates, testing shortages and speculation over stricter restrictions on the UK economy hit travel firms hardest.īritish Airways owner IAG ( IAG.L) took a hammering as its stocks nosedived 12%.
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