Pahrump vigil set to honor those lost to COVID-19
As most will wholeheartedly agree, the year 2020 has been difficult to endure.
It’s been a year rife with changes, challenges and chaos, with the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the planet, altering the very way we live day to day and taking the lives of over 1.7 million people globally to date.
As Christmas approaches, many families are grieving the absence of someone who lost their battle with the novel coronavirus and will not be there to celebrate the season.
Pahrump resident Ryan Muccio said he was simply thinking about these families who will be missing their loved ones this holiday and he decided to do something about it.
He set out to organize a small vigil in honor of those who have perished due to COVID-19, calling the observance Remembering Loved Ones Lost From COVID-19, Nye County. “I thought it would be a nice sentiment to the families while keeping social distancing in mind,” Muccio said.
“Pahrump, and all of Nye County, along with the entire world, has been affected by COVID-19” the event description posted to Facebook reads. “Lives have been lost and sadly, there will be empty seats at the table this Christmas.”
According to the coronavirus tracker map from Johns Hopkins University, as of Tuesday, Dec. 22, COVID-19 had claimed the lives of 1,706,032 people in a total of 191 countries around the world. In America alone, 319,466 deaths have been reported so far. According to local sources, Nevada has seen 2,787 deaths and in the small communities of Nye County, the death toll has already reached 39.
“Please join us in honoring and remembering the lives that have been lost in our community. A chair with a luminary bag will be placed to represent each community member that has been lost. Many of those that have been lost sadly passed away in various nursing homes with no family in the immediate area. This is our time as a community to come together to pause and reflect,” the event description states.
The vigil is not intended to be one in which members of the public gather en masse, but rather, it has been planned as an extended observance that will allow residents to come and go from the park whenever they wish throughout the time in which the luminaries will be displayed. It was emphasized that there will be no formal ceremony for the event due to the current spike in COVID-19 cases and the need to keep public gatherings to a limited number.
Remembering Loved Ones Lost From COVID-19 is set to begin at 5 p.m., Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24 and continue until Saturday, Dec. 26 at noon. Those wishing to spend a few moments in solemn reflection to honor and remember the people who have passed away from COVID-19 are welcome to stop by Petrack Park, 150 N. Highway 160, at any time during the vigil.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
