WASHINGTON — The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) announced Thursday (Dec. 31) that it will host a memorial to recognize and honor individuals in the U.S. who lost their lives to COVID-19 during a Tuesday, January 19, 202 ceremony in Washington D.C.

The event, held at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, will begin at 4:30 p.m. (CST). The PIC says the ceremony will feature a lighting around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as a way of memorializing American lives lost.

PIC has invited cities and towns around the country to join Washington, D.C. in illuminating buildings and ringing church bells at 4:30 p.m. (CST) in a national moment of unity and remembrance. PIC Communications Director Pili Tobar. said,

"The inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris represents the beginning of a new national journey. However, in the midst of a pandemic – when so many Americans are grieving the loss of family, friends, and neighbors – it is important that we honor those who have died, reflect on what has been one of the more challenging periods in the nation's history, and renew our commitment to coming together to end the pandemic and rebuild our nation."

PIC adds that more information regarding the Jan. 19 memorial and other inaugural activities will be released in the coming days.