The City of Chicago will join tonight’s nation-wide tribute to COVID-19 victims.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is asking Chicagoans to participate in a citywide COVID-19 memorial service taking place tonight by turning off all lights and electronics for 10 minutes at 6 pm. Residents and businesses across Chicago will be stepping outside onto driveways and balconies to light a candle and observe a moment of silence for those who have lost their lives to COVID-19.
The City, including Navy Pier and the majority of downtown buildings, will be dark for a full 10 minutes from 6 pm as Chicago and the entire nation reflect on the pandemic and the impact it has had on our city and our country.
IN TWO HOURS: We're coming together to honor the lives lost to COVID-19 and mourn with communities across our country forever changed by this deadly virus. Join @TheChiFirstLady and me in lighting a candle during the #COVIDMemorial. https://t.co/fz6VvPCEp2 #BrighterTogether pic.twitter.com/LyEsh1UZUI
— Archived: Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot (@mayorlightfoot) January 19, 2021
People are asked to light a candle or display an image of a candle in solidarity with the national memorial and cities and towns across the country. After the ten minutes of reflection, the City will switch lights back on at exactly 6:10 pm, symbolizing a moving from darkness to light. Along with homes, businesses, cultural centers, and all participating buildings across Chicago, faith institutions and relevant businesses have been asked to ring bells and make noise as it turns 6:10.
The event is part of a national COVID-19 memorial service that has been organized by Joe Biden’s presidential Inaugural Committee. The Inaugural Committee invited cities and towns around the country earlier this week to light up their buildings and ring church bells on Tuesday, January 19, in a “national moment of unity and remembrance.”
Chicagoans are encouraged to take part in the National COVID-19 Memorial Service to remember the lives lost to COVID-19 on Tuesday. https://t.co/nogj8VK69t
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) January 19, 2021
As a part of their Inauguration ceremonies, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be speaking out from Lincoln Memorial in DC to honor the nearly 400,000 victims in a special ceremony that will begin at around 5:30 pm Washington, D.C., time. The ceremony is being live-streamed online via the Inaugural Committee’s website for everyone interested in watching.
Join us for a national moment of unity and remembrance in honor of the 400,000 Americans we’ve lost due to COVID-19. https://t.co/0BW7AQLxUx
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 19, 2021