A community activist has appealed to the public to take part in a candlelit vigil to honour people who have died from Covid-19.

Mark Anderson, who works for the transport department, said he wanted to organise a stay-at-home vigil to help people deal with their grief and remind them that “we’re in this together”.

Mr Anderson said: “This is about bringing our community together to remind each other that we are all in this together, whether we are related to the people who passed away or not.

“It was somebody’s family today, but it could be my family tomorrow.”

Mr Anderson said he was inspired to hold the vigil after news after a massive increase in the Covid-19 death toll as a fourth wave of infection hit the island.

He feared people’s reactions to bad news had been dulled by the pandemic and hoped an hour of reflection would help people to remember to look out for each other.

Mr Anderson said: “We as Bermudians are slowly steering away from how we were brought up as far as respecting our fellow man.

“We have to protect ourselves and each other no matter what.

“We have to mask up whether we’re vaccinated or unvaccinated and we have to show a lot more love, patience and respect towards our fellow man.”

He asked participants to turn the lights off in their homes and stand outside with a candle or flashlight.

Mr Anderson said they should say the Lord’s Prayer and observe a period of silence for as long as they were comfortable with.

Participants were also encouraged to sing their favourite hymns and offer prayers of thanks for the work of healthcare professionals.

Mr Anderson said that non-Christians could use prayers from their religions or use the time for reflection.

The vigil is scheduled to start at 8pm on Sunday and will be followed up with a closing message from Mr Anderson on Facebook Live through his Facebook account at 9pm.