Washington, D.C. – As the nation mourns the 100,000 Americans who have tragically lost their fight to COVID-19, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) is announcing legislation introduced with U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that pays tribute to the victims of the pandemic, including more than 600 Rhode Islanders, with a moment of silence at noon on Monday, June 1, 2020.
“We all mourn for the lives taken by COVID-19. As we reach this sad milestone, we ought to join in recognizing our health workers, transit workers, sanitation workers, mail couriers, delivery drivers, grocery store clerks, military, law enforcement, and others on the front lines of the crisis, who put their health at risk to keep us safe and provide for our communities. Their dignity and compassion in the face of tragedy gives us hope,” said Whitehouse. “We should also recognize the loved ones of those lost, who often grieve in solitude without funerals or even a proper bedside goodbye. I urge my colleagues to join us in support of this important acknowledgement.”
The bill is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Michael Bennet (Colo.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
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