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9/11 light tribute in New York City to go on amid pandemic

Concerns were raised about the safety of workers who help produce the display.

In this Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013, file photo, the twin beams of the annual Tribute in Light commemorating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks shine amid the city's skyline, in New York. The twin beams of light representing the World Trade Center towers won’t be beamed into the sky during the 2020 memorial of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York City, because of concerns about the coronavirus and the health of work crews. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)

NEW YORK CITY, NY – The annual light display honoring victims of 9/11 in New York City will go on after all, organizers said Saturday, after concerns about workers’ safety during the pandemic threatened to cancel the tribute.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state would provide the resources needed to ensure the health and safety of workers helping to produce the tribute, and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he would also help offset the additional costs.

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The announcement came days after the National September 11 Memorial & Museum canceled the “Tribute in Light” over concerns the coronavirus might spread among crews creating twin columns of light to represent the World Trade Center in the Manhattan sky.

“In the last 24 hours we’ve had conversations with many interested parties and believe we will be able to stage the tribute in a safe and appropriate fashion,” said Alice M. Greenwald, president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, in a statement.

Cuomo said the pandemic would not stop the tribute to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.

“The state will provide health personnel to supervise to make sure the event is held safely while at the same time properly honoring 9/11,” he said in a statement.

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McKinley Strother joined the WSLS 10 News team in June 2020. He anchors 10 News at 6 and 11 on Saturdays and Sundays and you'll also catch him reporting during the week.