CLEVELAND — At a day of remembrance event Tuesday, Cleveland and Cuyahoga County officials asked residents to remember the 3,600 county residents who died with COVID-19.
What You Need To Know
- Officials announced there will be a permanent memorial to honor victims
- More than 3,600 Cuyahoga County residents have died with COVID-19
- The event Tuesday commemorated the two-year anniversary of pandemic
Officials and faith leaders came together at the Cleveland Music Hall Tuesday evening for a collective service to honor victims of COVID-19.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said he proclaimed March 15 as an official remembrance and resilience day to honor the pandemic’s victims and the frontline workers in the Cleveland area who risked their own health to help others.
“What we can’t do is forget that we’ve lost mothers, we’ve lost fathers, we’ve lost teachers and nurses, we’ve lost brothers and sisters,” he said.
The city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County will work together to create a permanent memorial to honor the residents who died from the virus, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish said.
“We’ve created a COVID-19 memorial task force, which is considering ways to memorialize those lost through the creation of a lasting memorial. We’re going to release an RFP that calls for proposals for a lasting memorial,” Budish said. “I’m excited to see how we can create something meaningful. Together, the city and county will do that.”
Budish reflected on the efforts in the region over the last two years to secure PPE, expand testing and get out the vaccines.
“We’ve seen firsthand the selfless work of local heroes, first responders, doctors and nurses, social workers, teachers, and so many others, so many who risked their lives to protect and help people they didn’t even know. Their dedication has been amazing to this catastrophe. They’re still out there working on the front lines battling this pandemic,” Budish said.
In the last two months, the COVID-19 numbers in the region have fallen dramatically and testing and vaccines are now widely available, Budish said.
“While we’re optimistic about the months ahead, we cannot forget where we came from,” he said.
As part of the commemoration, downtown Cleveland and surrounding neighborhoods were lit up with an amber color Tuesday evening to “show solidarity to the city’s comeback and recognize those we have lost due to the pandemic,” officials said.
A lead organizer of the event, pastor Larry Macon Sr., president of the United Pastors in Mission of Greater Cleveland, said residents paused for moments of reflection earlier in the day at hospitals, community centers and churches.
“This is an anniversary of the pandemic, and so we are trying to remember those who have gone on before us,” he said.
Macon said the event was also about looking ahead as the Cleveland area tries to recover from the last two years.
“Greater Cleveland is a resilient city and has always come back from whatever crises and whatever circumstances that [residents] have faced,” he said.
