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The Government has scaled back events and urged the public to mark Remembrance Sunday from home next month due to the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time in the Cenotaph’s 100-year history the service in Whitehall will be closed off to members of the public. A limited number of people – including armed forces veterans, members of the Royal Family and international leaders – will be permitted to pay their respects on November 8.

The open-air ceremony usually draws around 10,000 members of the public who join leading figures in two minutes’ silence at 11am.

A poll of more than 3,000 Express.co.uk readers has found the overwhelming majority believe annual services around the country should not be cancelled.

The survey conducted on Tuesday October 27 between 11.27am and 8.30pm asked 3,357 Express.co.uk readers, should Remembrance Day services be cancelled this year?

A huge 84 percent (2,815) believe Remembrance Day services should not be cancelled and voted ‘no’.

Just 15 percent (499) said annual services up and down the country should not go ahead and voted ‘yes’.

Meanwhile, one percent (84) remained unsure and voted ‘don’t know’.

A number of Express.co.uk readers let their feelings known in the comments section of the poll.

One reader said: “Remembrance WILL be observed. We will remember!”

A second user wrote: “The day we stop remembering our true history is the day we start repeating the mistakes of the past without the benefit of the lessons learned in the past!”

A third commented: “I really can’t see why the services should be cancelled, they are outside events and can be socially distanced.”

A fourth added: “No way should it be cancelled, maybe scaled down.”

The Government has issued guidance to councils on how Remembrance Day should be marked this year.

They said social distancing should be observed and the number of attendees should be scaled back compared to events in previous years.

Local authorities have been asked to prioritise those wishing to lay a wreath at memorials.

People wishing to gather with loved ones in groups of more than six, will not be permitted to do so unless it is at an event organised by a charity or business.

The Royal British Legion (RBL) will launch its annual campaign on Thursday and has urged the public to find new ways to support this year’s Poppy Appeal.

Under the message “every poppy counts”, these include making a request through the RBL’s website for poppies to be sent in the post to be distributed among neighbours, families and friends while following social distancing guidelines.

A printable poppy is also available to download – either in colour or to be coloured in – that people can fix to the windows.

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The RBL’s director of fundraising Claire Rowcliffe said: “Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly makes running the appeal more difficult, the additional hardships it has brought about means our work is now more vital than ever.

“The pandemic has had a devastating impact on people’s livelihoods and way of life, leaving some in the armed forces community in dire need of urgent help and support.”

She added: “Every poppy makes a difference to the lives of our armed forces community.

“Whilst you may have to do something different to support the Poppy Appeal this year, every poppy counts so we’re asking people to please support us in any way you can.”

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