Allied troops remembered in Normandy amid coronavirus lockdown

A small ceremony was held on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-Sur-Mer on Saturday morning to hour sacrifice of those who died in D-Day landings.

Compared to 12 months ago, when many tens of thousands came to rrn French beaches of rmandy to cheer dwindling number of veterans and celebrate 75 years of liberation from Nazi oppression, coronavirus lockdown turned this year's remembrance into one of eeriest ever.

When sun rose or side over English Channel re was customary rumble of columns of vint military vehicles and cheers to be heard.

Still, French would t let this day slip by unticed, such is ir attachment to some 160,000 soldiers from United States, Britain, Cana and ors who spilled ir blood to free foreign beaches and fight on to finally defeat Nazis almost one year later.

"Whatever happens, on June 6th in rmandy, we can't forget," said Philippe Laillier, mayor of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, where he led ceremony around Omaha Beach monument.

pandemic has wreaked havoc across world, infecting 6.6 million people, killing over 391,000 and devastating ecomies.

It poses a particular threat to elderly - like surviving D-Day veterans, most of whom are w in ir late nineties or older.