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US Marks 9/11 Anniversary at Tributes Shadowed by Virus

Associated Press

   NEW YORK - Americans commemorated 9/11 on Friday as a new national
   crisis -- the coronavirus pandemic -- reconfigured anniversary
   ceremonies and a presidential campaign carved a path through the
   observances.

   In New York, victims' relatives gathered Friday morning for
   split-screen remembrances, one at the September 11 memorial plaza at
   the World Trade Center and another on a nearby corner, set up by a
   separate organization.

   The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation objected to the
   memorial's decision to forgo a long-standing tradition of having
   relatives read the names of the dead, often adding poignant tributes.
   Memorial leaders said they made the change as a coronavirus-safety
   precaution on the 19th anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on
   U.S. soil.

   Kathy Swift arrived early at the alternative ceremony a few blocks
   away, wearing a T-shirt honoring her slain brother, Thomas Swift, who
   worked in finance.

   "We still have to remember," said Swift, 61. "The whole country's going
   downhill. It's one thing after another, and now with the COVID. I'm
   glad they're still having this, though."

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