Members of National Nurses United, the largest union for registered nurses in the US, on Tuesday, July 21, lined up over 160 pairs of white nursing clogs on the lawn facing the US Capitol, in memory of the nurses who have lost their lives amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The nurses, at the vigil, urged the senate to pass the HEROES Act, which would increase production for personal protection equipment (PPE) needed by hospitals to treat coronavirus patients, NBC reported.
The union said that the bill could save the lives of nurses and patients. The bill would also provide direct payments to Americans and funding for state and local governments.
NNU Statement on Trump's Threat to Send Federal Troops to More Major U.S. Cities
— NationalNursesUnited (@NationalNurses) July 22, 2020
140,000 people have died of COVID-19 amidst federal inaction, tens of millions are without work. Our communities need federal help, not armed assaults.
Press Release ➡️ https://t.co/NTyyIwuPMr pic.twitter.com/mcdlK77OdV
As of July 21, Tuesday, at least 164 nurses succumbed to the COVID-19 infection, said National Nurses United. Some of them died at the hospitals they worked in.
In May this year, the nurses had staged a protest in front of the White House, then surrounded by 88 pairs of shoes. Back then, there were about 70,000 deaths.
The number of deaths in the US has doubled to over 1,40,000, more than two months later.
One week after the demonstration by the nurses, the House of Representatives passed the Democrat-backed HEROES Act on May 15. As per Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, 'it talled in the Senate', where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and GOP senators have been drafting their own stimulus bill without Democrats' input.
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