The United Kingdom will erect a £3.
2 million ($4 million) monument that commemorates all the emergency service workers, including those who have gave their lives in the fight agains the novel coronavirus.
While The National Emergency Service Memorial was already planned before the outbreak of the pandemic, the design has been revised so that it includes a figure with a personal protective equipment (PPE) on in scrubs.
The Daily Mail reports that more than 7,000 emergency service workers have perished in the last 250 years. In the fight against Covid-19, more than 180 National Health Service (NHS) workers have passed away as of this writing. Included in the monument are police, firefighters, maritime rescue, search and rescue along with a Spaniel.
The Spaniel represents all the service animals from the guide dogs to military dogs. The base of the monument is a pentagon as can be seen in the picture above, and the entire monument will stand some 20 feet tall when completed.
Where the monument will be erected has not been determined as of yet. It is scheduled to be opened in 2023 by the Queen. Philip Jackson, the sculptor who had worked on the statue of English football hero Bobby Moore by Wembley Stadium, has been working on it for the past year.
In an interview with Sky News, Jackson said that it was natural and appropriate that they added an additional figure next to the paramedic to celebrate and remember the extraordinary work that the NHS staff have done to treat this pandemic.
The British Medical Association and other related organizations welcomed the revision. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also endorsed the project, praising the service workers as “British heroes” who put the lives of others before theirs.
Prince William also supported the project. He had previously served as an operator for air ambulances. He explained that Britons owe their well-beings and lives to those who work day and night for our protection, and that their efforts deserve to be noticed.
In a rare and much needed example of British unity, the political heads of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales also expressed their support for this project.
During WWII, Winston Churchill said that “never was so much owed by so many to so few”. We thank the work of the NHS and all emergency service workers all around the globe for their incredible work. Join us in expressing gratitude to the workers in the comments.
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