AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The City of Augusta is recognizing those who died during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The plaque has been in the works for a couple of years and serves a physical reminder of the love and appreciation the city of Augusta has for those who lost their lives to COVID-19.

The plaque sits at Augusta’s Riverwalk, but city leaders say the work put into helping those impacted during that time is why they gathered.

“We worked together to make sure that the curve is flattened and that the number of positive tests went down. We went out and vaccinated thousands of people in our district and pulled together as a community and it speaks to what we can do when we mean business,” District 1 Commissioner Jordan Johnson said. 

Former District 1 Commissioner Bill Fennoy says most remember how they felt when COVID began to claim lives everywhere. Now, he hopes the plaque can remind folks to work continuously against viruses and diseases. 

“A reminder of the devastating effect that COVID had on our community, the state of Georgia, and the whole country, the whole world. And that tragedies like this will never happen again. That we’ll be able to take preventative measures that we’ll be able to assure that it never happens again.”

Commissioner Alvin Mason says he remembers fearing his life would come to an end while having COVID-19 and not knowing. 

“I thank God that I’m still here. So, for us to be able to do this here today and resent this plaque, for those that have lost their lives– some 983 folks just from Augusta alone– imagine that,” District 4 Commissioner Alvin Mason said.

Fennoy tells NewsChannel 6 the reason he had the idea for the honorary plaque is because he saw, up close, the impact the virus had on those he loved.

“Hopefully this will be able to– they could come here and think about the good times and remember the good times that they had with family and friends.” 

Augusta leaders want this plaque to be a representation of what happened and how far we have come.