To honor the nearly 900 San Diegans who have died due to COVID-19, San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez held a Dia de los Muertos ceremony Sunday at the County Administration Center.
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Meso-American tradition observed annually on Nov. 1 and 2 to honor the memories of those who have died.
The Altar de Muertos is traditionally decorated with bright items, including yellow marigolds, photos of the dead and sugar skulls. The altar at the county building will remain up through Monday.
“As our Latino community deals with such significant and disproportionate losses during this pandemic, it’s so important that we celebrate the lives of those who we have lost,” said Gonzalez, D-San Diego. “The COVID-19 Altar de Muertos will allow us to safely honor our loved ones who have passed away due to COVID-19, while reminding everyone of the cost that our community specifically has paid during this pandemic.”
Tonight, we will honor those who have passed from COVID-19, with a Dia de los Muertos Altar to life at the County Administration Center. The altar will feature pictures of our loved ones who have passed from COVID-19. Our deep at condolences to all those who have lost someone. pic.twitter.com/uMTW3we71Q
— Nathan Fletcher (@nathanfletcher) November 2, 2020
More than 229,000 Americans have died since March because of the coronavirus.
San Diegans who lost a family member or friend to COVID-19 were invited to submit the name of their loved-one(s) along with a picture to Fletcher’s office so it could be included on the altar. The altar, or ofrenda, was erected near the east entrance of the administration center.
“The COVID-19 Altar de Muertos is our way of remembering those we have lost to this horrible virus,” said Fletcher, co-chair of the county’s COVID-19 Subcommittee.
“It provides an opportunity to reflect on the effect COVID-19 has had on all communities, but we should be paying special attention to the disproportionate impact it has made on Black, Brown and other communities of color. Every death because of COVID counts. Every life lost to COVID matters. It is now time to rededicate ourselves to protecting one another by taking the actions needed to slow the spread,” he said.
A group of residents from City Heights partnered with Fletcher and Gonzalez to help set up the ofrenda. Other partners for the event include the Consulado General de Mexico en San Diego and San Diego Latino Health Coalition.
– City News Service
