GENEVA, April 3 — Swiss President Guy Parmelin was among the first today to take part in a virtual candlelight vigil in memory of nearly 9,700 people who have died from Covid-19 in the country.

In a video message, Parmalin lit a red wax candle, comparing it to a “glimmer that we are starting to see on the horizon in this crisis”.

And then he lit a virtual candle as part of a nearly two-month-long online vigil organised by Swiss churches of various denominations to coincide with the period between the eve of Easter and White Sunday—a Christian feast celebrated 50 days after Easter.

Just a few hours into the vigil, more than 800 virtual candles had been lit, creating flickering dots of light in various colours sparkling across a darkened map of Switzerland.

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The colours symbolise whether the candles were lit in memory of a specific person, or to symbolise other messages.

“Light a flame across the Swiss map showing gratitude, a sign of hope or of unity with others,” organisers said on the www.offreunelumiere.ch website.

Participants were also urged to leave a message on the site, in either German, French or Italian, the main official languages in the Alpine nation of 8.6 million people.

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One participant, Ruth, said she had lit her candle “in memory of all the people who have left us”, while Christiane left a message saying: “Mama, forever in my heart”. — AFP