Incumbent Sadiq Khan said he completely understood the desire for a lasting memorial while Tory candidate Shaun Bailey said a public monument would give people “a space to reflect”.
Mr Khan, who has already founded a blossom garden in the Olympic Park to mark the anniversary of the first lockdown, said: “If I’m re-elected on 6 May I’ll listen carefully to all potential proposals from local communities and councils for further fitting tributes in our city.”
Tory Shaun Bailey: ‘It is our duty to remember those who tragically lost their lives’
/ Alex LentatiMr Bailey, who supports a memorial in central London, added: “It is our duty to remember those who tragically lost their lives — and those who fought to protect many more.”
Meanwhile, Lib Dem mayor candidate Luisa Porrit, Green Sian Berry and the Women’s Equality Party’s Mandu Reid have all thrown their weight behind the Covid Memorial Day campaign.
It is being coordinated by March for Change and is calling for a national Covid Memorial Day every 23 March and a monument on Whitehall where wreaths can be laid.
The campaign has started public consultation to ensure that the British public is at the centre of the memorialisation of the pandemic.
