(WWJ) Flags will be flown at half-staff in Michigan in remembrance of half-a-million people in the U.S. who have died from COVID-19 complications.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in accordance with a proclamation issued by Joe President Biden, has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the State Capitol Complex and upon all public buildings and grounds across the state to be lowered to half-staff immediately through Friday, February 26 to honor and mourn those who have lost their lives due to the virus.
“As we lower the flags to honor and remember the 500,000 American lives, my heart is with the families of loved ones who passed away from this vicious virus,” Whitmer said in a statement. “Our nation grieves as we continue the fight to eradicate COVID-19. The quickest way out of the pandemic is through equitable distribution of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. That’s why we are encouraging every Michigander to make a plan to get vaccinated when a vaccine becomes available. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we will get through this pandemic together.”
Related
The State of Michigan recognizes and mourns the lives lost to the coronavirus by lowering flags to half-staff, the governor's office said. Michigan residents, businesses, schools, local governments and other organizations also are encouraged to display the flag at half-staff.
To lower flags to half-staff, flags should be hoisted first to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The process is reversed before the flag is lowered for the day. Flags should be returned to full-staff on Saturday, February 27, 2021.
In December, 2020, Whitmer ordered flags in the state lowered to honor the more than 10,000 Michiganders whose deaths had been linked to the coronavirus.
As of last official count by the health department on Monday, Michigan had recorded 15,362 COVID-19 deaths.