SL County designates first Monday in March to honor COVID-19 victims

The Salt Lake City Council has passed a resolution designating the first Monday in March (March 1) as “COVID-19 Victims and Survivors Memorial Day.” With the statewide death toll from the disease approaching 2,000, Utah Department of Health lists over 700 deaths in Salt Lake County and nearly 150 in Salt Lake City. Coronavirus victims will be honored on the first Monday in March in future years as well, the council decided.

Utah’s first COVID-19 case was diagnosed on March 6 last year, just hours after then-Gov. Gary Herbert issued a state of emergency. Days later, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus just before a game in Oklahoma City. Within a week of the first positive tests, many businesses across the state were closed and schools had shifted to virtual learning models.

The Salt Lake City Council met to approve the resolution via video conference because city meetings are still not held in person. The resolution recognizes the “catastrophic effects on human life, our community and our economy” of the disease. “COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and communities of color, exacerbating inequities already prevalent in our systems that we must address as a nation,” the resolution continues.

The Smart City Policy Group suggested the resolution to the council. There have been more than 60 cities in the U.S. to adopt similar measures.