Americans continue to mourn as the country recently surpassed the 400,000 mark of those who have died from COVID-19, including 8,324 in Louisiana. To honor those in the city who have been lost to this deadly disease, New Orleans has set up a memorial of nearly 700 white flags in Lafayette Square and will hold a ceremony on Tuesday (January 19). The memorial is part of a nationwide tribute, started by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, to honor the lives across the country that have been claimed by the pandemic.
"We find ourselves grieving for the loss of too many lives lost due to COVID-19," read a post on Mayor LaToya Cantrell's Facebook page. "They are our family, friends and neighbors; they will never be forgotten. Today, New Orleans joins cities across the country to participate in President-Elect Joe Biden's memorial ceremony and national moment of unity recognizing the thousands of lives lost to COVID-19 across the country."
In addition to the white flag memorial, the city encourages citizens to leave flowers or tokens of remembrance at a temporary memorial set up at the gates in front of Gallier Hall.
Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris will hold a nationwide ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, lighting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in memory of all the Americans lost to the pandemic. In New Orleans, Cantrell and City Council President Helena Moreno will also hold a memorial ceremony at 4:30 p.m. at Gallier Hall. The ceremony will be available to watch on Facebook Live here.
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