Silent Remembrance for Lives Lost to Covid-19

Moments of silence will be held nationwide Jan. 19 to commemorate those who have succumbed to Covid-19. Photo: Andraz Lazic

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah. — A national moment of silence on Jan. 19 at 3:30 p.m. MST will recognize lives lost to Covid-19 worldwide, including six Summit County residents.

Summit County Treasurer Corrie Forsling suggested local participation in the commemoration to the Summit County Council, and the motion was approved Jan. 13.

“[The idea for a moment of silence] struck me. It felt like something we needed to do on a nationwide level but also on a local level, just because of the pain and damage this has caused in our country,” Forsling said in a statement.

The death toll from Covid-19 continues to climb in Utah, with a reported 1,330 lives lost to date.

“Despite the efforts of the County, and everything we’ve done to battle COVID-19 over the last nine months, there were still some individuals who did not fare as well as we would have hoped,” said Phil Bondurant, Summit County Deputy Director of Health, in a statement. “We feel for those families and think this is a great opportunity for the County to recognize that.”

According to the statement, 292,720 Utahns have been infected by the coronavirus since March 2020, and 3,489 of those are residents of Summit County. The Summit County Health Department encourages the use of facemasks, social distancing, and hand-washing and urges residents to remain vigilant in their efforts to avoid infection.

The proclamation for tomorrow’s moment of silence can be viewed online.