When I heard about a candle-lighting ceremony at a Covid-19 memorial on the beach in Belmar, NJ, I felt compelled to go. The memorial started in January 2021, when Rima Samman placed a few marked stones in the sand to honor victims of the virus, including her 40-year-old brother. There are now more than 2,000 stones, and the creators of the memorial are seeking a permanent home for it.
Many in the crowd never had a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones, or give them a proper funeral. The poignant ceremony on March 13, 2021—about a year after the pandemic took hold in the US—was a small step towards closure.