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Salt Lake City leaders hold remembrance ceremony for COVID-19 victims

Mayor Erin Mendenhall and City Council members lit lanterns in honor of those who died.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall helps light lanterns to commemorate the city’s victims and survivors of COVID-19 just outside Salt Lake City Hall, Monday evening, March 1, 2021, before being joined by City Council members.

  | March 2, 2021, 2:35 a.m.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and City Council members including chair Amy Fowler honored those who have died from the coronavirus in a ceremony Monday evening.

In February, Mendenhall and the City Council adopted a resolution declaring March 1 to be COVID-19 Victims and Survivors Memorial Day.

The city lit 146 lanterns outside City Hall to represent the number of Salt Lake City residents who have died from COVID-19.

“We’ve experienced heartbreak and loss in our city and today we reflect on the lives of our neighbors, family members, friends, acquaintances — people who matter and are missed in our community,” Mendenhall said in a statement. “We also recognize our communities of color, which have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, experiencing higher infection rates, less access to medical care and personal protective equipment.”

The lanterns will remain lit overnight on the east side of the building.