Uptown Congressman Proposes NYC Memorial To Coronavirus Victims
NEW YORK, NY — Upper Manhattan's representative in congress is introducing a bill to establish a national coronavirus memorial in New York City to commemorate those lost to the deadly virus.
Adriano Espaillat — whose district includes Harlem, Washington Heights and parts of the Bronx — penned legislation called the "COVID-19 National Memorial Act" that will create a commission to "plan, design and raise funds" for the memorial.
A national memorial could help unite the country around a shared struggle against the deadly virus and by honoring the medical professionals who were on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic, Espaillat said.
"We are in the midst of an invisible war that has so far taken roughly 140,000 lives in the United States, far more than combined loss of American lives during the Vietnam War, the 9/11 attacks, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congress must take action to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as properly commemorate the lives lost, to help our nation recover," Espaillat said in a statement.
Espaillat suggests the Bronx as a suitable location for the memorial. The borough was one of the hardest hit places in the country. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. supports Espaillat's idea to build the memorial in the Bronx, he said in a statement.
The Upper Manhattan congressman has also introduced a bill that would set up a fund for coronavirus victims modeled after the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.
New York City suffered through a devastating outbreak of the coronavirus that peaked in March and April. More than 219,000 people tested positive for the virus with 18,800 confirmed deaths and another 4,624 probable deaths as of Tuesday, July 21.
As of Tuesday morning, the U.S. had topped 3.8 million confirmed cases and surpassed 141,000 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.
This article originally appeared on the Harlem Patch
