As Americans remembered the terror attacks that rocked the nation 19 years ago, the ceremonies honoring first responders and those who lost their lives were little different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. In New York City, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum decided to pare down their annual ceremony. Instead of having family members walk to the stage to recite the names of the 2,977 victims, the names were played over a loudspeaker.
Family members of the victims were allowed to attend the ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in Lower Manhattan but were required to maintain social distancing guidelines. Members of the public were allowed into the memorial from 3 p.m. until midnight to pay their respects.
The Stephen Stiller Tunnel to Towers Foundation decided to host its own ceremony a few blocks away from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, where family members read the names of their deceased relatives while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
The Flight 93 memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, hosted a scaled-down ceremony this year. They eliminated the musical interludes and had just one person read the names of the 40 people who died when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field after passengers fought back against the hijackers. President Donald Trump spoke at the event, which was not open to the public at the request of the victims' families.
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