Covid: Leeds landmarks lit up to mark 2,000 deaths

Leeds City Museum is one of three buildings to be lit in blue and yellow to mark the milestone

Landmarks are to be lit up in Leeds to mark the city having reached a "sombre milestone" of 2,000 Covid-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

The City Museum, Town Hall and Civic Hall will be lit in blue and yellow from Monday evening until Thursday.

The illuminations would also act as a tribute to the efforts of front-line workers, the council said.

The blue lights showed respect for NHS and care staff, while yellow symbolised grief, the authority added.

According to the government's UK coronavirus dashboard, the total number of deaths in Leeds where Covid-19 was mentioned on a death certificate registered up to Friday 21 January 2022 as a cause or contributing factor stood at 2,068.

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Leeds City Council leader James Lewis said while the illuminations marked this "sombre milestone", prompting people to pause and reflect on those who had died, the lights were also a chance for people to be proud of what the city had achieved and to look ahead to brighter futures.

"It is an opportunity for us to be proud of the unity and compassion Leeds has shown throughout the darkest days of pandemic, and to look towards the days to come with hope and optimism that having endured so much together, we can be closer and stronger than ever," Mr Lewis said.

Work on a "People's Woodland" had also started at the former South Leeds golf course, the council said.

It would be a "space for reflection and peace in memorial of loved ones who lost their lives during the pandemic", as well as being a tribute to key workers, a spokesperson said.