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| - Britain on Tuesday marked the anniversary of its first coronavirus lockdown with a minute's silence in tribute to the more than 126,000 people who have died -- one of the world's worst tolls. The "National Day of Reflection" saw the silence observed in parliament and across the UK at noon (1200 GMT), followed by bells ringing to mourn the dead and honour frontline health workers. Members of the public were encouraged to stand on their doorsteps at 8:00 pm (2000GMT) with lit phones, candles or torches to signify a "beacon of remembrance". Queen Elizabeth II, forced to spend much of the year out of the public eye, and her eldest son and heir Prince Charles led the tributes. The 94-year-old monarch called for reflection "on the grief and loss that continues to be felt by so many people and families," and paid tribute to "the immeasurable service of those who have supported us all over the last year". Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a lockdown on March 23 last year, shutting schools, non-essential shops and services, and banning gatherings of more than two people. "From this evening, I must give the British people a very simple instruction -- you must stay at home," Johnson said a year ago, announcing the most stringent restrictions on public life since World War II. He warned then that "many lives sadly will be lost" -- though the death toll today stands far beyond any of the worst predictions of British scientists or politicians a year ago. Alana Greig, senior charge nurse at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in Scotland, was one of the many medics forced to wage a desperate battle to save lives during the peaks of the pandemic, last spring and this winter. "It's really been quite sad at times because young and old have passed away unfortunately," she told AFP. "And sometimes you felt, could you have done better? But you couldn't, because you have done your best for them." Throughout the crisis, the country has rallied round the state-run National Health Service (NHS). On Tuesday, a Banksy painting sold at auction for £16.75 million ($23.1 million, 19.4 million euros) -- a record for the elusive street artist -- with proceeds going to the NHS. The Covid-19 death toll in March last year was 335. A year later it stands at 126,172, among the five worst rates in the world per million people. A YouGov survey conducted last week found that one in six people in Britain have lost a family member or close friend to Covid-19. Initially, the lockdown was meant to last three weeks. A year on, Britain is in its third phase of restrictions, but is gradually loosening them thanks to a mass vaccination campaign. However, Johnson warned that a third wave is now sweeping across Europe and will inevitably "wash up on our shores", even as he called for reflection on the losses of the past year. It has "taken a huge toll on us all", he said, calling the anniversary "an opportunity to reflect on the past year -- one of the most difficult in our country's history". "We should also remember the great spirit shown by our nation over this past year," he said, although Johnson's many critics accuse the government of repeatedly doing too little, too late to combat the pandemic. The prime minister himself required life-saving treatment in intensive care after catching the virus shortly after announcing the first lockdown. However, Johnson's government is facing fierce criticism for permitting a pay rise of only one percent this year for most NHS staff, which translates into a pay cut after inflation. And it is resisting calls to hold an immediate public inquiry into why the pandemic struck Britain so hard, while political rows further afield have also clouded the vaccination drive. Britain's inoculation campaign currently rests largely on UK-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. But supply constraints in India mean the next phase for people aged under 50 will have to be paused next month, the government has warned. European officials meanwhile are furious that AstraZeneca has up to now been able to deliver its UK contract in full while falling short on its supplies to the EU. jwp-jit/phz/pvh
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