US President Joe Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on Thursday to mark the milestone of 1 million COVID-19 deaths
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th May, 2022) US President Joe Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on Thursday to mark the milestone of 1 million COVID-19 deaths.
"In memory of the one million American lives lost to COVID-19 and their loved ones left behind, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, ... and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset May 16, 2022," Biden said in a statement.
US flags will also be flown at half-staff at all US embassies, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations, according to the statement.
On Thursday, Biden is hosting a virtual global coronavirus summit.
Earlier in the day, the president issued a statement commemorating 1 million Americans who have died of the coronavirus and urged Congress to sustain COVID-19 funding.
According to the Johns Hopkins University, the US has logged over 82 million coronavirus cases since the onset of the pandemic. Cases have recently been on the rise, driven by "stealth" Omicron subvariants.
