Member of different religious faiths came together Sunday in Decatur to take part in a remembrance of coronavirus victims.

People began gathering at First Baptist Church of Decatur in the morning to be among those ringing hand bells as part of the event.

More than a dozen churches around Decatur planned to toll their bells 200 times beginning at noon, each ring to mark 1,000 people of the roughly 200,000 deaths in the United States attributed to COVID-19.

The Rev. David Jordan, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Decatur, said as word spread about Sunday’s event, he heard from other faith groups that wanted to come and stand on the church’s lawn, including Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and representatives of the Baha’i tradition.

Meanwhile in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, singer Dionne Warwick hosted the National COVID-19 Remembrance. Hundreds of empty chairs representing the lives lost due to COVID-19, were placed at The Ellipse, the park outside of the south side of the White House.

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In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com