The Kings of Spain preside over a national tribute to the victims of Covid-19

USPA NEWS - Spain paid tribute this Thursday to the victims of the pandemic and to the people who fight against it on the front line. The Kings of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, attended the tribute to the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic and recognition of the health personnel who gave their lives to save thousands of people in Spain.

The ceremony began with the appeal to four families of deceased persons who, on behalf of all the honored health workers, received from the hands of the King the Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit. After the awarding of decorations, the King placed a wreath of flowers next to the cauldron and, subsequently, a minute's silence was observed before the “Intermezzo” by Pietro Mascagni was performed by the Radio Televisión Española orchestra. After the musical performance, Araceli Hidalgo, the first vaccinated against Covid-19, intervened and then a video titled "Esperanza" was shown and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" was performed, by the Orfeón Pamplonés.

The King addressed a few words in which he made it clear that we must honor "... on this day the memory of those who did not survive this time, preserving intact what every crisis reveals to us, individually and collectively. Let us continue to build in their absence, but with his memory, a better country for the next generations … "

Likewise, he stressed that “... today we return to this place because we need and must remember all those who - until then and since then - are not with us. And to show in the most solemn way our deep respect, appreciation and admiration for the health personnel who, since the beginning of this crisis, worked tirelessly, with determination and total dedication, trying to contain a disease for which, at that time, there was no availability. of treatments or vaccines ... "

Felipe VI also wanted to underline “... the recognition of our health workers and those who performed essential functions in the hardest moments. To all - women and men - who, in the darkest days, put their duty before their safety, acted in accordance with their civic and solidarity conscience, and gave the best of themselves, contributing as professionals everything they knew and, humanly, all the courage and will that they could ... "

The event was attended by the relatives of 102 health sector workers who died during the pandemic, from all over the country, as well as the first vaccinated from various Spanish regions, including the first vaccinated person in Spain, Araceli Hildalgo (born in 1924). With an age range between 78 and 96 years, and an average age of 80 years, their presence symbolizes the strength of vaccination, the hope of the exit from the pandemic and the value of the group most affected by mortality in this pandemic, sources from the Spanish Royal House said. With this act, the Royal Family, the institutions and Spanish society as a whole expressed to the families of the victims of Covid-19 "their pain and their gratitude for their work and for their total dedication."