In the near future, I will reintroduce a resolution recognizing March 18th as the COVID-19 Day of Remembrance in Pennsylvania. Every single human being’s life was affected and forever changed in early 2020 when coronavirus disease 2019, better known as COVID-19, sent the world into lockdown. In Pennsylvania, on March 6, 2020, Governor Tom Wolf confirmed Pennsylvania’s first two COVID-19 cases: one in Delaware County and the other in Wayne County. The week of March 16, 2020, our everyday lives were completely shut down and life as we knew it was never the same.   

 

March 18, 2020 marked the day of the first death from COVID-19 in Pennsylvania on record. That same month, Governor Wolf implemented social distancing, mask mandates, and stay-at-home orders alongside school and business closures.   

 

We quarantined ourselves and sacrificed time with family and friends. Family events and social gatherings were canceled. We witnessed and experienced financial hardships, including thousands of local small businesses having to reduce their hours, some of whom would never return post-pandemic, and all of us faced the threat of the losing housing and employment. Educators grappled with how to continue to teach our children while families and caregivers adjusted to online and hybrid learning. During this pandemic, we saw the rate of hospitalizations and nursing care facilities rise daily to the point of overcapacity, which caused our healthcare workers to be overworked and our facilities to be understaffed. Tragically, we were not permitted to visit our affected loved ones whether COVID-19 was involved or not. We lost the opportunity to spend those precious last moments with those who died from other illnesses and natural causes, and more than a few of us had to unexpectedly say goodbye to our loved ones who lost their lives to COVID-19.   

 

As reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, by the end of 2020, 18,244 Pennsylvanians lost their lives to this horrible disease. At the end of 2021, an additional 20,435 Pennsylvanians succumbed to COVID-19, and as of March 8, 2025, we have lost a total of 56,813 Pennsylvanians since 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even now, COVID-19 continues to make people sick, and our awareness of that fact is crucial to preventing avoidable deaths.   

 

Due to social distancing measures that were executed to prevent COVID-19 from spreading further, many families were not able to properly give their loved ones the funeral or memorial service they truly wanted to. Most of these services had to be held at the cemetery gravesite and could only have the capacity of 10 - 25 people in attendance during the beginning phases of the pandemic. Once some of the social distancing measures were reduced and eventually lifted, people still opted not to attend these services for fear of catching and spreading the disease.  

 

In recognition of all people in Pennsylvania who have passed away from COVID-19, along with their families, our healthcare heroes, essential workers, and all who were affected by COVID-19, I am proposing a COVID-19 Day of Remembrance on March 18, 2025. This day will honor them, their legacies, and all the wonderful memories they have left their families and loved ones. May this day bring some peace, comfort, and solidarity statewide for those still grieving their loss and those still seeking a proper memorial for their loved ones. 

 

Previous cosponsors include Senators Street, Tartaglione, Hughes, Haywood, Santarsiero, Kearney, Fontana, Costa, Cappelletti, and Schwank.  

 

Please join me in cosponsoring this meaningful resolution.