WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Thursday (May 21) ordered US flags to be lowered to half-staff for three days in honor of Americans who have died from COVID-19.
The announcement came as the US COVID-19 death toll approaches the 100,000 mark, and follows calls by Democrats to lower the flag when it reaches that grim milestone.
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"I will be lowering the flags on all Federal Buildings and National Monuments to half-staff over the next three days in memory of the Americans we have lost to the CoronaVirus," Trump tweeted.
The Republican president added that flags would remain at half-staff on Monday for the country's Memorial Day, honoring those who have died while serving in the US military.
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While US daily death tolls are no longer on a steady incline, the losses are still mounting, with the total count in the US above 94,500 – by far the nation with the most deaths in the world.
The Memorial Day weekend will likely coincide with the country reaching 100,000 COVID-19 deaths.
Earlier in the day, top Democrats said flying the flags at half-staff upon reaching the 100,000 mark would reflect a "national expression of grief".
"Our hearts are broken over this great loss," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer wrote in a letter to the president.
The pair said it would be fitting to pay Read More – Source
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