Colorado Lowers Flags To Mourn 500,000 Coronavirus Deaths

DENVER, CO — The 500,000th COVID-19 patient died in the U.S. Monday.

To mark that somber milestone and mourn the deceased, Gov. Jared Polis ordered that flags across the state be flown at half-staff through the week. The flags will remain lowered until sunset on Friday.

“As a community, we grieve with the families who have lost a friend, parent or loved one to this deadly virus," Polis said in a statement. "As Coloradans, we honor the lives of our fellow Americans and reflect upon the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Together, we can avoid more devastating loss by wearing masks, avoiding social gatherings, and washing our hands, as we get more vaccines into more arms and end this crisis.”

Don’t miss the latest news updates in Colorado. Sign up for free Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

Earlier, President Joe Biden had ordered that all U.S. flags on federal properties be lowered to half-staff for the week.

At the time of Polis' announcement Monday, there had been more than 28.2 million cases of COVID-19 in America. In Colorado, 5,723 people had died due to COVID-19 and there had been 421,294 cases in our state.