Mayor de Blasio to Participate in National Memorial to Lives Lost to COVID-19

January 19, 2021

First nationwide COVID-19 memorial to lives lost is part of the Inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris

NEW YORK—Today, Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray announced that New York City will be participating in the national Memorial to Lives Lost to COVID-19 by delivering remarks at the Statue of Liberty at 5:30 p.m. The memorial will take place simultaneously in Washington D.C. and nationwide starting at 5:30 p.m. ET and continuing at 5:30 p.m. local time in cities and towns across the country.

Mayor de Blasio and First Lady McCray will board a Statue Cruise line, operated by Hornblower, to deliver remarks in front of the State of Liberty National Memorial on Liberty Island. The program in Washington D.C. will also emphasize the importance of looking back and remembering the lives we’ve lost to COVID-19 as we look forward to the hope of a new path and a brighter future.

“This city, and this country, have faced down extraordinary challenges in our shared history. And as we remember those we’ve lost to COVID-19, we must also remember that the strength and unity of our people has always helped us prevail,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I’m honored to stand with Lady Liberty, a beacon of hope to the nation and the world, and look forward to brighter days to come.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has stolen the lives of too many of our mothers, brothers, nurses and dedicated public servants. While the nation collectively mourns the loss of loved ones, we also gain strength by coming together. Our unity in sorrow will help us overcome this pandemic and build our country back stronger. The Statue of Liberty symbolizes the hope and promise of better days ahead led by a new Biden-Harris Administration. Together we will rise,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray.

“The inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris represents the beginning of a new national journey. However, in the midst of a pandemic – when so many Americans are grieving the loss of family, friends, and neighbors – it is important that we honor those who have died, reflect on what has been one of the more challenging periods in this nation’s history, and renew our commitment to coming together to unite our country. end the pandemic, and rebuild our nation,” said PIC Communications Director Pili Tobar.

The memorial will feature the lighting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and the illumination of buildings and ringing of church bells in a national moment of unity and remembrance. New York City will illuminate iconic buildings in amber, including:

• The Empire State Building
• One World Trade Center
• Three World Trade Center
• Seven World Trade Center
• One Bryant Park
• One Five One
• New York City Hall
• Bronx Borough Hall
• Queens Borough Hall
• Staten Island Borough Hall
• David N. Dinkins Municipal Building
• Gracie Mansion
• Times Square Tower
• 51 Madison Ave.
• Rockefeller Center
• 601 Lexington Ave.
• Brooklyn Army Terminal
• 731 Lexington Ave.
• South Street Seaport
• The Shops at Columbus Circle
• 1540 and 1535 Broadway
• 44-28 Purves Street, Long Island City, NY
• The Helmsley Building
• Park Avenue Viaduct
• One Vanderbilt

On board the ferry, Mayor de Blasio will speak with Hornblower representatives about reviving New York City’s tourism sector.

On June 28, 2007 the National Park Service announced that Statue Cruises LLC, an affiliate of Hornblower Yachts Inc., would operate as the official ferry boat service to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island Memorial Museum. On January 1, 2008, Statue Cruises began operation of ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The official authorized ferry boat tour operator provides transportation to Liberty and Ellis Island from The Battery in New York and Liberty State Park in New Jersey.