The Cincinnati City Council will pay tribute to the many people who have died — as well as their surviving loved ones — from COVID-19.
During the Feb. 24 council meeting, the council voted to recognize March 1 as “COVID-19 Memorial Day.” The date marks a year from the first time a Cincinnatian died from coronavirus.
The resolution, submitted by council member David Mann, was worded as follows:
RESOLUTION, submitted by Councilmember Mann from Andrew Garth, City Solicitor, RECOGNIZING and supporting the designation of the first Monday in March as “COVID-19 Memorial Day,” in remembrance of those who have lost their lives and in honor of those who are forever marked by COVID and continue to suffer from the impact of this virus, and RECOGNIZING all the decency demonstrated in times of need by our citizens, especially front line workers and health care professionals.
Mann said several city departments will recognize the moment with a ceremony at 10 a.m. March 1 at the College Hill Recreation Center.
“We want to honor the lives that were lost. We want to express our empathy for the families that have lost loved ones. We want to say thank you to those in our community, the public workers who have done so much to ease the pain of the last year,” Mann said during the meeting.
A New York Times database of multiple sources shows that there have been 954 reported coronavirus-related deaths in Hamilton County since March 1, 2020.
Nationally, there have been more than 500,000 COVID-19 deaths, a milestone that was reached on Feb. 22.
During a briefing on Feb. 24, Hamilton County Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman said that there are currently around 5,000 active COVID-19 cases in the region.
