Politics

Congress holds candlelight vigil for 500K Americans who died from COVID-19

By
Social Links for Mark Moore
Published Feb. 24, 2021
Updated Feb. 24, 2021, 9:58 a.m. ET

Republicans and Democrats in Congress held a candlelight vigil and moment of silence outside the Capitol to honor the 500,000 Americans who have died in the coronavirus pandemic.​

Members of the House and Senate wore masks and held candles in their hands at around dusk Tuesday as “Take My Hand” and “Precious Lord” was performed by a lone singer. 

​Afterward, they bowed their heads in a moment of silence for COVID victims – a death toll that on Monday surpassed 500,000 people.​

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy took part in the solemn ceremony. ​

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (left), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (center) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (right), with members of Congress attend an event held to observe a moment of silence to honor the 500,000 people in the United States that have died of COVID-19
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (left), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (center) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (right), with members of Congress attend an event held to observe a moment of silence to honor the 500,000 people in the United States that have died of COVID-19. Michael Reynolds/EPA

The vigil at the Capitol came a day after President Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and ​second gentleman Doug Emhoff took part in a moment of silence at the White House. 

Biden addressed the families of those who lost ​loved ones​ during the pandemic, and honored the legacies of those who passed away.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif), left, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) participate in a moment of silence with other members of Congress.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif), left, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) participate in a moment of silence with other members of Congress. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag

“But as we acknowledge the scale of this mass death in America, we remember each person and the life they lived. The people we knew, the people we feel like we knew​,” he said in an 11-minute televised speech. ​

Members of congress during a remembrance for lives lost to COVID-19, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C.
Members of congress during a remembrance for lives lost to COVID-19, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C.Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA

​​With Post Wires​