Part Of Us Has Been Lost But We Still Go On With Our Work For All Of You

Maternity ward staff in harrowing tribute to colleague

- Andy Lines And Matthew Young

Heartbroken staff on a maternity unit stand in a corridor, heads bowed, some of them weeping, as they pay tribute to the first serving midwife to die from coronavirus.

Lynsay Coventry, 54, had been a midwife at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, for 10 years.

One of her colleagues, Rachael Marchant, posted the photograph on Facebook, saying: “This is what our maternity unit in Harlow looked like on Friday. My friends, work colleagues and work family all united in grief!

“We stand apart to minimise spread but stand together in mourning the loss of our midwife.

“Part of us has been lost but we still go on with our work for you all!”

In her post, which has been shared 28,000 times, attracting 6,500 comments, she begs people to stay at home to stop the virus spreading.

She said: “If this doesn’t stop you from going out this weekend then we shouldn’t be friends! I beg u, stay home!