DeWine orders flags to be lowered in honor of 500,000 Americans killed by COVID

Gov. Mike DeWine ordered that U.S. and Ohio flags be flown at half-staff at all public buildings and grounds in the state in honor of the 500,000 Americans killed by COIVD-19.

Flags will stay at half-staff until sunset on Friday.

The governor’s order was issued Tuesday in accordance with an order issued by President Biden.

Biden addressed the “grim, heartbreaking milestone” Monday with a national moment of silence and eulogy, the Associated Press reported. Five hundred candles outside the White House represented the half a million Americans lost to the pandemic.

As of Monday, Ohio has reported 16,874 deaths attributed to the virus, according to the state health department. Ohioans ages 80 and older account for 8,927 of those deaths.

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