From Military.com:
“Arlington
National Cemetery Cancels Annual Wreath-Laying Amid COVID-19 Surge”
Cemetery
officials announced Monday that the annual wreath-laying at gravesites that had
been set for Dec. 19 has been canceled "with great regret" because of
the COVID-19 pandemic. The "Wreaths Across America" event has also
been canceled at the Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery in
Washington, D.C., because of the nationwide surge in coronavirus cases,
officials said in a statement. However, they added that the cancellations apply
only to those two locations and do not affect other Wreaths Across America
tributes to veterans at as many as 2,000 other cemeteries nationwide. The
locations can be found on the Wreaths Across America website.
In discussions with the Joint Task Force National Capital Region, "[Arlington National Cemetery] determined that it could not implement sufficient controls to mitigate the risks associated [with hosting the event] while still conducting a respectful and honorable public event," it said in a statement. "We did not make this decision lightly," said Karen Durham-Aguilera, the cemetery's executive director. "Despite the controls developed to disperse potential crowds in time and space, and required personal safety protocols, we determined that hosting any event of this scale risked compromising our ability to accomplish our core mission of laying veterans and their eligible family members to rest." Charles "Ray" Alexander, superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery, said of the tribute that has come to be associated with the holiday season, "Our strong hope is to be able to resume hosting this great event next year in 2021." The Wreath Across America cancellation is the latest in a series of events Arlington has either had to postpone or modify because of the pandemic. The cemetery's traditional Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies were held virtually. Visits to the cemetery were also limited to family members until early September, when the public was again allowed access under strict guidelines to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
^ This is
beyond over-kill on the part of Arlington National Cemetery and a major
disgrace to the men and women buried there. If an outdoor cemetery like Arlington
can’t create a plan (like having 1 person do several rows by themselves instead
of several people so close together, etc.) and it is so unsafe to wear a mask,
be outside and lay a wreath on a grave with no other living people around you then
we are all screwed and should be hunkering down in individual bunkers awaiting our
own imminent death from Covid-19. I hope Arlington National Cemetery comes to
their senses before December 19, 2020 and that Wreaths Across America will be
allowed to place a wreath on the Military Graves. If they aren’t then it will be
a major stain on Arlington National Cemetery and the United States that will
last for decades. ^
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.