DC mayor sets ‘day of remembrance’ for lives lost to COVID-19

FILE - In this July 24, 1998, file photo, a flag flies at half-staff on Capitol Hill in honor of two Capitol police officers who were killed after a gunman burst through security barriers. A woman tourist was also seriously wounded in the incident and hospitalized for her injuries. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)(AP/Doug Mills)

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has named Wednesday a “Day of Remembrance for Lives Lost to COVID-19.”

Bowser also ordered flags to half-staff this week in honor of the more than 500,000 Americans who died from COVID-19.

“These beautiful souls who passed were grandparents, parents, siblings, cousins, neighbors, classmates, colleagues, friends and loved ones,” Bowser said in a statement. “This tragic milestone is a reminder that this pandemic has forever changed families and communities.”

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, houses of worship throughout D.C. are encouraged by Bowser to honor the more than 1,000 people who died from COVID-19 in the District.

“Even when the pandemic ends, for many, the pain and loss will still be there. We will never know just how many lives have been saved through our shared commitment to wearing masks and social distancing, but we continue to make these efforts because we know that every single life saved is precious. Today, we pray for the lives lost and send our love to every person and family impacted by this virus and commit ourselves to continuing to work together,” Bowser said.

Wednesday marked the 1,000th death in the District from COVID-19.

In the proclamation, it says that about one year ago, D.C. was beginning to stand up emergency operations and joint information centers to respond to the pandemic and, “we could not have known the toll it would take on our city.”


More Coronavirus News

Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.

Valerie Bonk

Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas. 

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up