A plaque honoring the local victims of the COVID-19 pandemic and the healthcare and senior care workers who battled the disease was dedicated on a significant anniversary for Yellowstone County.
The unveiling of the COVID-19 Memorial Plaque on April 17 is the 6th anniversary of the first Yellowstone County death from the virus.
The signage in the lobby of the new Billings City Hall pays tribute to the more than 600 Yellowstone County residents who died from COVID, the 52,000 who were infected and the healthcare workers who battled the disease.
Former Billings Mayor Bill Cole led the ceremony, sharing that the new city government home was funded in large part by federal COVID relief dollars.
“There is no way that the city of Billings ever could have been able to afford to build a new city hall if it had not been for those federal dollars. But, of course, those dollars came at a terrible price. A price paid by more than 600 of our family, friends, co-workers and neighbors, and thousands of Yellowstone County healthcare and senior care workers,” said Cole.
He added that this new facility that will serve Billings for decades is an especially fitting place to display the plaque as a reminder of the sacrifice and resiliency of the community.
