Distant Memorial Day Events As Georgians Fill Beaches, Parks

A United States flag is placed beside a gravestone at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in the Brooklyn borough of New York. In Georgia, officials worked to contain crowds at parks and beaches amid concerns about the further spread of the coronavirus.

John Minchillo / Associated Press

It was a distant day for Memorial Day ceremonies in Georgia, even as officials worked to contain crowds at parks and beaches amid concerns about the further spread of the coronavirus.

The Georgia Army National Guard continued a recent string of honorary flyovers with two featuring UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, one in metro Atlanta and one in coastal and southwest Georgia. The formations hovered over sites with military significance as well as large hospitals that have been treating people with COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.

“We will pause for a few moments this day to recognize the sacrifice of our service members and our families,” Maj. Gen. Tom Carden said. “It is part of our culture to remember and to honor, and it is going to take more than a global pandemic to change that part of us.”