TOWSON, MD —Baltimore County political and faith leaders gathered in Towson's Patriot Plaza Thursday for a ceremony commemorating the one-year anniversary of the county's first death from COVID-19 and honoring the 1,321 lives already lost to the virus in the county.
Leaders also paid tribute to the local residents who have battled COVID-19, a number that has reached about 54,000, and to the first responders and volunteers who have done their part to help others during the pandemic.
"During the first days of the pandemic, none of us could have foreseen the full impact of the crisis or the ways in which our lives would be so fundamentally changed," Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski Jr. said. "It has been a year unlike any other. It has tested us to the limit."
Olszewski continued: "We have lost 1,321 loved ones, friends and neighbors and had over 54,000 known cases in Baltimore County. My heart breaks for each and every one of the souls we've lost during the crisis. In Baltimore County, we will never forget the ones we lost."
To honor the lives lost, 1321 American flags were placed in Patriot Plaza. Olszewski also announced that in the coming months the county would issue a call for artists to develop proposals for a sculpture, to be placed at Lake Roland, which will "give visitors a chance to reflect on this past year and pay tribute to all we've lost."
Olszewski said that at the beginning of the week, more than one in five Baltimore County residents had received at least one dose of the vaccine. However, he urged residents to remain vigilant against the virus.
"We have reason to believe we are nearing the end, but we're not yet out of the woods. " Olszewski said. "But there is hope on the horizon. Soon, we'll be able to put this behind us and gradually return to a normal way of life."
Also delivering remarks at the ceremony were Pastor Karen Bethea, Dr. Gregory Branch, of the Baltimore County Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Ed Tori, of the Islamic Society of Baltimore/Al-Rahmah School, Council Chairman Julian E. Jones Jr. and Rabbi Jessy Dressin.
Bethea delivered in the invocation. Branch, who himself had battled COVID-19, urged everyone to get vaccinated.
"It's a matter of life and death," Branch said. "Get vaccinated. As my mother would say: 'I double dare you.' Just do it."
Dr. Tori, a physician, and Jones, a former fire chief, drew parallels between their on experiences battling crises and how regular citizens, first responders and politicians had faced challenges this year.
Rabbi Dressin made the connection between the coronavirus pandemic and the story of Passover, which begins this weekend. Both, Dressin said, include a journey through a period of uncertainty, fear and angst.
Today's ceremony honored the 1year anniversary of
#BaltimoreCounty's first death from #COVID19. Since this crisis began, we have lost 1,321 loved ones and neighbors. Today we placed an American flag on Patriot Plaza for every person we lost as a result of this #pandemic. https://t.co/JsPpJ1ldfa
— Baltimore County (@BaltCoGov) March 25, 2021
March 26, 2021 at 08:21AM
https://patch.com/maryland/towson/olszewski-we-will-never-forget-ones-we-lost
Olszewski: We Will Never Forget The Ones We Lost - Patch.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=forget&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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