The memory of the victims of the life that the wind took away

GironaIt was a modest metal plaque, located at the foot of a sapling in the Ribes del Ter park, where the approaching passerby could read: "From the city of Girona in memory of all the people whom the COVID-19 pandemic has taken before their time. We will always keep their memory alive." This March 14th marks five years since the state of emergency was declared due to the pandemic, but the Girona victims of COVID no longer have that symbolic space of remembrance and tribute that the City Council, then headed by Marta Madrenas, created on July 14, 2020. Nothing has been heard of it since. The sapling planted next to it to provide shade has also disappeared, presumably not adapting well to the space and ending up cut down after the last drought.

The City Council dismissed the plaque's disappearance as a mischief and pledged to return it and explore a way to prevent it from being taken again. It wasn't until this week, almost three years after its disappearance, that the City Council, now headed by Lluc Salellas, confirmed to the newspaper ARA that the plaque will be replaced before this summer.

More than 200 people participated in the tribute to the victims of COVID-19, held five years ago and which concluded with the unveiling of the plaque. The event was attended mainly by friends and families of the victims and various groups that were particularly active during the lockdown, such as the health and emergency services. In addition to the then-mayor, Marta Madrenas, and many other administrative officials, the then-president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Quim Torra, also participated. The Bishop of Girona was also present. The event began with the ringing of all the city bells and the lighting of 147 candles to remember each of the victims of the pandemic. A performance by the Preludio heart and the reading of a poem by a child from a Girona school served to highlight the children's courage during the pandemic.