ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - From Tuesday to Sunday, all flags in the City of St. Louis have been ordered to be lowered to half staff to remember the lives of hundreds of city residents who have died from COVID-19.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson made the announcement on Facebook Monday evening. She said the flags will stay lowered for five days.
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"It is such a somber milestone to report that we have now lost more than 500,000 Americans to the #COVID19 pandemic. That includes 415 of our fellow St. Louisans," Krewson stated. "Their memories, their contributions, and their lives must never be forgotten."
The COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. topped 500,000 Monday, a staggering number that all but matches the number of Americans killed in World War II, Korea and Vietnam combined, according to the Associated Press.
President Joe Biden held a sunset moment of silence and a candle-lighting ceremony at the White House and ordered American flags lowered at federal buildings for the next five days.
“We have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow,” Biden said. "We have to resist viewing each life as a statistic or a blur.”
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