COLOMBIA – In what could be the first time in South Carolina, the city of Cayce plans to designate a day to recognize people who have died and others affected by the COVID-19 virus, which has affected daily life.
A resolution being considered by the city council on February 17 will designate the first Monday in March as Memorial Day for COVID-19. The day will be celebrated “in memory of those who lost their lives and in honor of those who are marked forever by COVID and continue to suffer from the impact of this virus”, says the resolution.
“For us it is just an opportunity to really highlight the importance of what we are still going through,” Cayce Mayor Elise Partin told the Post and Courier. “It’s difficult – people have done an excellent job of trying to stay safe and we want them to continue to do so.
“We are very close to making some progress and having some hope, but this was really an opportunity to continue to point out that our team does make fact-based decisions when it comes to masks and social detachment requirements to protect our citizens, our businesses and our visitors. “
South Carolina Municipal Association officials said they had no immediate knowledge of another city in the state besides Cayce, a city of 13,600 people on the opposite side of Columbia’s Congaree River, which has plans to mark a day in memory of COVID.
A national memorial to the victims of COVID-19 was held on January 19 prior to President Joe Biden’s inauguration and was recognized across the country, including some areas of South Carolina, with church bells ringing and illuminated municipal buildings.
More than 425,000 confirmed cases have affected South Carolinians with more than 7,000 killed by the virus. In Lexington County, where Cayce is the third largest municipality in population, 412 people died of COVID-19 on February 13.
Cayce has required a mask in public places in the city since July. The rule was recently extended until at least 29 March.
There are no events planned as of now to mark the memorial, Partin said.
“For now, it is just an opportunity to deepen the dialogue to recognize all the lives that have been lost, an opportunity to recognize all of the incredible primary caregivers who are in the community and are part of our hospital systems and have done an incredible job” , she said. “Because as tired as we are, they are definitely more tired.”
Cayce has experienced other tragedies in recent years such as the site of a fatal 2018 Amtrak train disaster and the murder of 6-year-old Faye Swetlik in 2020.
Talk to Stephen Fastenau at 803-365-3235. Follow him on Twitter @StephenFastenau.