New York City’s Empire State Building lit up in red and white to honor the frontliners combating the spread of COVID-19.
“We’ll never stop shining for you,” the building’s Twitter page said last Tuesday, March 31.
“Starting tonight through the COVID-19 battle, our signature white lights will be replaced by the heartbeat of America with a white and red siren in the mast for heroic emergency workers on the front line of the fight,” it added.
[1/2] We’ll never stop shining for you.
Starting tonight through the COVID-19 battle, our signature white lights will be replaced by the heartbeat of America with a white and red siren in the mast for heroic emergency workers on the front line of the fight. pic.twitter.com/OYkblLTRHN
— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) March 30, 2020
“The Empire State Building is an international symbol of dreams and struggles overcome,” Anthony Malkin, chairman and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust, said in a statement on their site. “Tonight, and every night in this struggle, she is a beacon to remind us we are all in this together, and we will come out of this together.”
Along with the initial tribute to the health workers, the structure will also offer a light show to the tune of the 2009 hit “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys every night at 9 p.m. The effort is a partnership between the trust and radio station Z100 by iHeartMedia.
The building’s staff posted a clip of the light show on Instagram yesterday, April 1. The structure’s lights switched from red and white to different hues including yellow, blue and purple as it matched the song’s chorus, which speaks of New York City.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases globally has increased to over 823,600 as of yesterday. The World Health Organization also reported that more than 40,500 have died. /ra
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