Governor Walz Orders Flags Flown at Half-Staff in Honor of Minnesotans Who Have Lost Their Lives Due to COVID-19
[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz has directed all flags at state and federal buildings in Minnesota to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 and on the 19th of every month through 2020 to remember, mourn, and honor lives lost due to COVID-19.
“As of May 15, 2020, 683 of our mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, have passed due to COVID-19,” reads the proclamation issued by Governor Walz. “Minnesotans come together as one community in these challenging moments to mourn and support each other.”
“This disease is unpredictable and has devastated so many Minnesota families, including my own,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “The people who have been lost are not just numbers, and they are not forgotten.”
Individuals, businesses, and other organizations also are encouraged to join in lowering their flags to honor Minnesotans who have lost their lives to COVID-19 and their families.
The proclamation from Governor Walz reads:
WHEREAS: The State of Minnesota is weathering the “long winter” known as COVID-19; and
WHEREAS: First responders, state employees, and essential workers are on the frontlines working tirelessly and fearlessly to protect our communities and neighbors; and
WHEREAS: On March 21, 2020, we lost our first Minnesotan to COVID-19; and
WHEREAS: As of May 15, 2020, 683 of our mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, have passed due to COVID-19; and
WHEREAS: Deaths due to COVID-19 are disproportionally affecting Indigenous communities, people of color, the homeless, the elderly, individuals with pre-existing conditions and disabilities; and
WHEREAS: Minnesotans come together as one community in these challenging moments to mourn and support each other.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, TIM WALZ, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby order all United States flags and Minnesota flags to be flown at half-staff at all state and federal buildings in the State of Minnesota, from sunrise until sunset on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, and the 19th of every month through 2020 to remember, mourn, and honor the lives lost due to COVID-19.