EXETER – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo on Monday joined other state officials in paying tribute to the state’s veterans, laying a wreath at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
“Rhode Islanders buried here fought so we could be free. … They gave their lives so we could live” in a free country, she said in a short speech during the annual Memorial Day ceremony. “Let’s recommit ourselves to ensuring our state lives up to these ideals, and we live up to these ideals. Let’s commit ourselves to [becoming] a freer country, a better country.”
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Before Raimondo spoke, Kasim J. Yarn, the state director of veteran affairs, noted the differences between this year’s scaled-back ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in years past, when hundreds of people would normally be in attendance.
“Please know this, we are united more than ever,” he said. “COVID-19 may keep us away physically but we are all mentally united as one.”
The R.I. Department of Health did not release new COVID-19 numbers on Monday because it was a holiday.
On Sunday health officials reported 116 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total to 14,065, with 11 more deaths.
The state has reported a total of 608 fatalities related to the new coronavirus. Of the 11 new deaths, nine lived in long-term care facilities.
As of Sunday, there were 240 people reported hospitalized with the virus, up from 233 the day before. There were 49 patients in intensive care units, with 32 on ventilators.
