New York City’s annual light tribute that honors the victims who died on Sept. 11, 2001 in the terrorist attacks has been cancelled due to fears that the workers tasked with setting up the display could spread coronavirus, numerous sources reported.
The two vertical light beams that symbolize the attacks on the Twin Towers in Manhattan, known as the “Tribute in Light,” will not shine this year, officials at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum announced Thursday.
NEW YORK – SEPT. 11: Beams of light shine into the sky behind the Brooklyn Bridge and above the Manhattan skyline on September 11, 2005 in New York City. The lights pay tribute to those who lost their lives when the World Trade Center was attacked four years ago. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
The beams typically shine from dusk on Sept. 11 until dawn the next day.
“This incredibly difficult decision was reached in consultation with our partners after concluding the health risks during the pandemic were far too great for the large crew required to produce the annual Tribute in Light,” the statement says.
Buildings across the city will light their facades and spires in blue, a spokesman told the Wall Street Journal.
The cancellation of the light display follows the cancellation of the annual tributes by the family members of 9/11 victims, also due to coronavirus-related social distancing rules. (RELATED: Live Tribute By Families Of 9/11 Victims Cancelled Due To Coronavirus Restrictions In New York)
In late July, the Museum announced in a letter to family members of the deceased that instead of reading the names of 9/11 victims, recorded name readings would instead be used “out of an abundance of caution.”
Relatives were also invited to gather on the memorial plaza instead of on stage. Six moments of silence will still be observed, symbolizing when the World Trade Center towers fell and when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks.