The royal palace in Madrid bore a somber look as a memorial to honor the victims of Covid-19 took place. The memorial was officially held barely 3 weeks after the end of the state of emergency in Spain. Spain has been one of the worst hit countries, having suffered 28,413 casualties and still seeing a rise in daily infections. The event was a break from the usual duties and a way to pay homage to people of various professions and backgrounds, including healthcare professionals, who died due to the pandemic while performing their duties.
Amongst the attendees were the World Health Organization’s executives, European Council President Charles Michel, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and the Spanish Royal family. Spain’s king Felipe VI spoke at the occasion saying, “This act cannot heal the pain felt by so many families at not being at the side of their loved ones in their final hours […] but what it can do is pay tribute to their lives, to their contribution to our society, to their memories”. The king also met Prime Minister Sanchez. Flowers were placed near cauldrons by the attendees as an orchestra played Samuel Barber’s song, “Adagio for Strings”.
