Nation's 1st Hotspot Creates Memorial To 1,100+ Dead In Pandemic

YONKERS, NY — The country's first hotspot has created what may be the nation's first memorial to the victims of the new coronavirus pandemic. Ribbons of Remembrance is dedicated to the more than 1,100 Westchester County residents who have already lost their lives to COVID-19.

It was just the beginning of March when Westchester's first case swelled in 11 days into 121 cases in New Rochelle leading to the first "containment zone." SEE: Coronavirus In New Rochelle: Life At The Epicenter.

Wednesday, County Executive George Latimer introduced the memorial, a simple combination of purple ribbons and small trees overlooking the Hudson River at the Lenoir Preserve. Permanent markers are available in a case near the preserve's parking lot. Visitors can write the name of a loved one on a ribbon and tie it to one of the trees.

"Every fatality is not a statistic, it's a human being," Latimer said. "I hope people will come by, and remember that where there is a purple ribbon there was once a person."

People need societal touchpoints, he said. The pandemic has replaced symbolism people are comfortable with — such as St. Patrick's Day parades, Mother's Day, high school proms — with symbols that make people uncomfortable, such as masks.

"One thing we haven't forgotten is how we remember people who have died," he said.

In two months, COVID-19 has killed 1,116 Westchester residents, the New York state health department reported May 5. At the height of the outbreak, the county was reporting 30 to 40 new deaths a day.

"We have had a concentration of loss," Latimer said.

Lenoir Preserve, a nature preserve comprising woodlands and field habitats with a number of unusual specimen trees and shrubs imported from around the world, is one of the Westchester County parks open during the pandemic. Its slopes overlooking the Palisades offer spectacular views.