The Queen has stressed the importance of maintaining the coronavirus lockdown during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, saying ‘by keeping apart we keep others safe’.
Her Majesty has delivered her first Easter audio address, which had the resolute message: ‘We know that coronavirus will not overcome us.’
The 93-year-old monarch’s pre-recorded speech offered support to those marking Easter privately and the wider country, and she said: ‘But Easter isn’t cancelled; indeed, we need Easter as much as ever.’
It ended on a positive note: ‘May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future.’
The Queen (pictured during her address to the nation last Sunday) has stressed the importance of maintaining the coronavirus lockdown during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, saying ‘by keeping apart we keep others safe’
Her Majesty has delivered what is believed to be her first Easter address, which had the resolute message: ‘We know that coronavirus will not overcome us’. Pictured: A grab from the video posted on the Royal Family’s social media page
The speech came after the Queen’s televised address to the nation last Sunday when she said by remaining united the country would overcome the virus, and told those in lockdown ‘we will meet again’.
Her messages illustrate the importance of the head of the nation appearing at times of crisis to rally the country and keep up morale.
The deadly coronavirus claimed a further 917 patients in the UK in the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to a staggering 9,875.
The total cases also jumped by 5,233 to 78,991 on Friday after an additional 18,091 tests were performed, down 1,025 from Friday.
On another grim day in Britain’s battle against the epidemic:
- An 11-year-old was among those to died from the deadly bug;
- A row erupted between Health Secretary Matt Hancock and a top nurse over his claims that medics were overusing personal protective equipment;
- Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer led the backlash over the Health Secretary’s claim that NHS staff were ‘wasting’ PPE;
- Mr Hancock revealed that of the 9,875 who have died, 19 were NHS workers;
- Downing Street said the Prime Minister was making extremely good progress with his recovery from coronavirus;
- Former Home Secretary David Blunkett blasted ‘Sermon on the Mount’ coronavirus briefings by ministers and accuses officials of ‘hectoring’ people;
- Scientists said coronavirus can spread 13 FEET from sufferers – more than twice the 6ft social distancing gap demanded by government – and that isolating infected people at home is not a good strategy.
Peter, Kate Beresford and family members in the garden watched the Queen during the televised address to the nation at their home last Sunday
The Queen said in her audio message recorded on Good Friday at Windsor Castle: ‘This year, Easter will be different for many of us, but by keeping apart we keep others safe. But Easter isn’t cancelled; indeed, we need Easter as much as ever.’
Easter is the most important period in the religious calendar for Christians. It is the culmination of holy week and celebrates the resurrection of Christ.
The Government is urging people to stay at home this Easter amid fears that with continuing good weather, people will flock to parks and beaches and undermine its social distancing strategy.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has acknowledged the warm weather but said it was too early to lift the social distancing measures.
The Queen said: ‘The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this. We know that coronavirus will not overcome us.
‘As dark as death can be – particularly for those suffering with grief – light and life are greater. May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future.’
The message was written by the Queen, who has a strong religious faith, and was accompanied by footage of a candle lighting an altar which illustrated her theme of ‘light overcoming darkness’.
Speaking about the symbolic importance of the lighting of candles, she added: ‘They seem to speak to every culture and appeal to people of all faiths, and of none.
‘They are lit on birthday cakes and to mark family anniversaries, when we gather happily around a source of light. It unites us.’
Social distancing was observed during the recording of the message, sent out on the Royal Family’s social media accounts, with the Queen delivering the address alone into a microphone set up in Windsor Castle’s White Drawing room while the sound engineer was in a nearby room.
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, will deliver his Easter sermon in a video recorded in his flat at Lambeth Palace on Sunday.
He had an audience with the Queen on Thursday, speaking with the monarch by telephone due to the lockdown.
Britain is on course to hit the grim 10,000-death milestone on Easter Sunday, which the country will spend in lockdown despite the glorious weather.
NHS England reported a further 823 patients had died in their hospitals in the past 24 hours – the youngest was 11 and the eldest was 102, both with underlying health problems. Out of these 828 deaths in England, 33 of these – aged between 29 and 94 – had no underlying health conditions.
‘Now is the time to revolt’: Vicars threaten to defy Justin Welby’s orders to shut over Easter (as Archbishop of Canterbury leads service from his kitchen)
Church of England vicars have threatened to defy the Archbishop of Canterbury’s orders to shut over Easter – claiming ‘now is the time to revolt’.
Guidance issued by Mr Welby warned the clergy not to enter churches to film services or for solo prayer. Mr Welby prerecorded his Easter services from his kitchen, while other vicars claimed they would be at their churches to celebrate on Sunday.
Many across the Church of England have become enraged by the rules as they go further than the government advice.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby recording his Easter Sunday sermon in the kitchen of his flat at Lambeth Palace in London
The government had made provisions for such activities, so people belonging to churches up and down the country were still able to attend virtual services.
Those defying the rules set out by Mr Welby claimed they were being threatened with disciplinary measures.
One vicar said ‘it was time to revolt’ and another claimed they had ‘been going to church since lockdown’. They said they would continue to do so, adding they would be attending at 10.30am on Easter Sunday.
Rector at London’s St Luke’s Wimbledon Park Rev James Paice told the Telegraph: ‘If people can go to supermarkets and get food and stand less than two metres apart from others, then why can’t clergy go into an empty building on their own?
‘The advice that clergy should get shopping but not enter their buildings alone to minister online elevates the humanistic and practical above the spiritual.’
He added: ‘I’ve been going every Sunday to a room in my church. Ever since the lockdown I have been doing it, and I will do it at 10.30am on Easter Sunday. Other clergy are doing it from the main body of church.’
But most priests appear to be obeying the Archbishop as he calls for the first Easter without church services since 1213.
Scotland confirmed a further 47 deaths, bringing the nation’s total fatalities to 542, while Northern Ireland’s tally hit 107 after an additional 15 deaths.
The rise in deaths came as police told Britons to remain indoors on a warm Easter bank holiday weekend, but were forced to have words with some flouting social distancing rules in the nation’s parks.
The police have been warned not to abuse their new beefed-up powers by Home Secretary Priti Patel, who confirmed the latest figures at the daily Downing Street press briefing.
Ms Patel, who has largely been absent from the government’s public response to the health emergency, is likely to double down on calls to stay indoors.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock this morning pleaded with the public to avoid going outside as the nation enters the critical period in the epidemic.
He said it is not clear if the UK has reached the peak of its outbreak, but acknowledged that hospital admissions were flattening.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘The good news is we have seen the number of hospital admissions starting – starting, I stress – to flatten out.
‘You can see (from the Government’s charts) that instead of going up exponentially, as they would have done if we had not taken the measures, that they are starting to come down and flatten.
‘We haven’t seen that enough to have confidence to make changes.
‘The answer to your question, about have we reached the peak, is nobody knows.’
Scientists braced Britons to breach the 10,000-death barrier tomorrow and told the public to obey social distancing rules.
Reacting to today’s figures, Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said: ‘The news of a further 917 COVID19 deaths is very sad, but unsurprising.
‘The fact that an 11-year-old was amongst the victims is particularly distressing.
‘Only two weeks ago we saw the UK pass the threshold of 1,000 total deaths and we can expect that number to breach 10,000 tomorrow.
‘It has become increasingly clear that younger people and those without underlying health conditions are at greater risk than had initially been expected, so it’s essential that people observe social distancing rules in order to start to halt the spread of the coronavirus.’
Of the 9,875 who have sadly lost their lives, the Health Secretary this morning revealed that 19 had been NHS workers.
Mr Hancock said: ‘My heart goes out to their families, these are people who have put themselves on the front line.
‘The work is going on to establish whether they caught coronavirus in the line of duty while at work or whether, like so many other people, caught it in the rest of their lives.
‘It is obviously quite difficult to work that out. What matters is we pay tribute to their service.’
A police officer on a horse talks to sunbathers in Victoria Park, London, as Britons continue to bask in the glorious Easter sunshine
A group of eight police officers was seen walking past people taking their daily exercise in St James’s Park in central London
Mr Hancock today became embroiled in a row after he responded to claims of a personal protective equipment shortage by urging medics not to overuse the gear.
Royal College of Nursing general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair also said that no amount of PPE was ‘more precious a resource than a healthcare worker’s life, a nurse’s life, a doctor’s life’.
She told BBC Breakfast: ‘I take offence actually that we are saying that healthcare workers are abusing or overusing PPE.
‘I think what we know is, we don’t have enough supply and not enough regular supply of PPE.
‘This is the number one priority nurses are bringing to my attention, that they do not have adequate supply of protective equipment.’
Reports have emerged from the front line of health workers forced to treat patients in homemade protective gear made from bin bags and curtains.
New Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also weighed in to condemn Mr Hancock’s remarks as ‘insulting’.
He added: ‘It is quite frankly insulting to imply frontline staff are wasting PPE. There are horrific stories of NHS staff and care workers not having the equipment they need to keep them safe. The Government must act to ensure supplies are delivered.’
At yesterday’s Number 10 update, Mr Hancock assured that there is sufficient stock of face masks, gowns and gloves but admitted distributing them was proving a ‘Herculean logistical effort’.
This afternoon will mark the first time the Home Secretary will front one of the daily Downing Street briefings.
Before his hospitalisation, Boris Johnson was front and centre of the country’s war on the virus, but is currently recovering in St Thomas’ Hospital after leaving intensive care.
A graph released at today’s Downing Street briefing showed the number of people in hospital beds in different areas of the country. The largest number is seen in London
Figures released by the government also showed that the number of observed cases is increasing because the number of tests is increasing
Another graph showed the number of deaths compared by the number of days into the crisis. The UK is behind the US but in line with Italy
A Downing Street spokeswoman today said: ‘The Prime Minister continues to make very good progress.’
The former Home Secretary David Blunkett blasted the daily coronavirus briefings, saying they have become like a ‘Sermon on the Mount’.
When asked about the police and political reaction to the crisis, Mr Blunkett responded saying people are being ‘hectored’, including during the daily coronavirus briefings which have been running since March 16.
He said: ‘Actually we talk, talk, talk and we hector people, I mean the daily press briefings now just become a Sermon on the Mount’.
Former Today programme presenter John Humphrys claimed that the BBC was warning interviewers not to put ministers under pressure over the coronavirus crisis.
The veteran broadcaster, 76, made the revealing claim in his column in the Daily Mail. He wrote: ‘I’m told BBC bosses are warning interviewers not to put ministers under pressure.’