County Asks for Buildings to Be Lit, Church Bells to Ring In Memory of Lives Lost to COVID

Arlington County will be participating in a national event “honoring the lives we have lost to COVID-19” next week.

The event is happening at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, in connection with the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. The county is encouraging churches to ring their bells, businesses to light their buildings, and residents to put a lighted candle in a window.

“Although the memorial is part of the inauguration event, we view it as a non-partisan effort to bring our nation together to honor those who have died, reflect on this challenging period in our history and commit to ending this pandemic,” County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti wrote to businesses today, encouraging their participation.

More than 380,000 people have died from the coronavirus in the U.S., including nearly 4,000 yesterday alone, according to the New York Times.

In Arlington, 82 new cases were reported overnight, bringing the seven-day trailing average of new daily cases down to 117. During the course of the pandemic, 187 people have died from COVID-19 in Arlington, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data. One additional death was reported Wednesday.

More from a county press release:

The Arlington County Board today invited all Arlingtonians to participate on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in an event of national unity and remembrance honoring the lives we have lost to COVID-19.

“I hope that every Arlingtonian will join County Government in honoring those who have died, offering comfort to those they have left behind, and committing to defeating this pandemic and recovering,” Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said. “Amidst concerns for public safety around inaugural activities, this memorial event offers an opportunity for our community to make a powerful statement of unity while staying home and staying safe.”

Arlington will join communities across the nation in remembering the more than 380,000 people who have died in the United States from COVID-19. At 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, just as a pre-inauguration vigil begins at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in the District of Columbia, County Government has asked that church bells ring and that other houses of worship and Arlington businesses light their buildings, while residents place a lighted candle in a window.

“We ask all our residents, our business community, our faith community, and our non-profit organizations to join us in this powerful gesture of comfort, remembrance, and hope,” de Ferranti said.