Summit County, Utah (January 18, 2021) – On Wednesday, January 13, the Summit County Council unanimously approved a motion to participate in a national moment of silence to honor victims of COVID-19. This decision happened through Proclamation 2021-01 as the Council met during their regularly-scheduled weekly meeting. The proclamation, which acknowledges the lives lost across America since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic, encourages all Summit County residents to stand in a moment of silence on January 19, 2021. “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,” Summit County Health Department Deputy Director Phil Bondurant said. “We feel for those families and think this is a great opportunity for the County to recognize their losses.” Since March 2020, a total of 292,720 Utahns have been infected by the coronavirus, 3,489 of which are residents of Summit County. In that same time 1,330 Utahns have died from COVID-19, six of whom were residents of Summit County.
Corrie Forsling, Summit County Treasurer, was the first to learn of the national moment of silence. When she did, she took the idea straight to the Council and County Manager.
“It struck me,” Forsling said. “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.”
The moment of silence will take place on January 19, 2021 at 3:30 pm MDT/5:30pm EDT. All residents of Summit County are encouraged to stand in tribute and memorial at this time to honor all Americans who have succumbed to COVID-19.
The County remains optimistic that through the distribution of vaccines, the ongoing heroics of medical providers and the actions being taken by members of the community, such as wearing facemasks and social distancing, lives will be saved.
To view the proclamation, click here.