[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 38 (Monday, March 1, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H864]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CREATING A COVID-19 VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS MEMORIAL DAY

  (Mr. STANTON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STANTON. Madam Speaker, last week, we mourned half a million 
American lives lost to the coronavirus. Their absence in our 
communities is difficult to comprehend.
  Sadly, many are facing the reality that it has now been more than a 
year without their loved ones. Tragically, many of them died alone, 
without loved ones to say good-bye.
  To honor and memorialize those lost and those impacted by the virus, 
I introduced a resolution designating the first Monday in March as 
COVID-19 Victims and Survivors Memorial Day. Commemorating this 
memorial day is an important marker for all those affected across the 
country and to help our country heal from this trauma.
  In my home State, this day of recognition has been pushed by two 
advocates who lost their fathers to COVID-19. Kristin Urquiza and Tara 
Krebbs turned their grief into action and have mobilized more than 100 
cities and multiple States to recognize today as a memorial day.
  Long after our Nation moves beyond this ordeal, we will need to 
collectively recognize all that we have lost and the trauma of what we 
have experienced.
  Together, we can overcome.

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