A 3-ton monument was dedicated on Sunday at a cemetery where many of Rio de Janeiro’s COVID-19 victims have been buried.
The Infitnity Memorial, a 39-meter (128-foot) long ribbon of undulating steel, was erected to pay tribute to those who died from coronavirus and provide families with a symbol of their loss in one of the worst affected cities in Brazil.
The memorial was designed by the Brazilian architect Crisa Santos, who had the idea of building the work at the peak of the pandemic after visiting several cemeteries in the country.
Giselle Peixoto, second left, leaves the Penitencia cemetery with her family after the inauguration of a monument to commemorate COVID-19 victims, at the Penitencia cemetery, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Sept.20, 2020. A three-ton memorial was inaugurated on Sunday inside a cemetery where many of Rio de Janeiro's COVID-19 victims have been buried. (AP PhotoSilvia Izquierdo)
“It gives a satisfaction to your heart to know that your father was not forgotten, that he is not just another victim”, said Giselle Peixoto, 54, whose father Geraldo Diniz Gonsalves was a victim of COVID-19.
Rio de Janeiro state reached more than 17,600 deaths and more than 250,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, second only to Sao Paulo state in Brazil.
The names of 4,000 of those who died will be inscribed on the structure.
The names of COVID-19 victims are etched on the Infinity Memorial at the Penitencia cemetery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Sept.20, 2020. The three-ton memorial was inaugurated inside a cemetery where many of Rio de Janeiro's COVID-19 victims have been buried. (AP PhotoSilvia Izquierdo)
Relatives attend a memorial for their family members who died from COVID-19 at the Penitencia cemetery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Sept.20, 2020. The families were there to attend the inauguration of a three-ton memorial at the cemetery where many of Rio de Janeiro's COVID-19 victims have been buried. (AP PhotoSilvia Izquierdo)