Niagara landmarks lit in yellow to show hope in fighting COVID-19
Both the famous falls and a Welland bridge are glowing yellow, and the cities want others to do it too
Both the famous Niagara Falls and a Welland bridge that spans a recreational canal are glowing yellow to signify hope in fighting COVID-19, and officials there hope overseers of other landmarks pick up on it too.
There's a yellow hue on both the Canadian Horseshoe and American Falls for a campaign the City of Niagara Falls calls "Crush the Curve."
An "international illumination board" votes when to change the colour of the falls. The yellow glow will remain that way "for the coming weeks," the city said in a media release last week.
Now Welland is switching the LED lights to yellow on bridge 13 on East Main Street, which spans the Welland recreational canal. That will last until April 10.
Mayor Jim Diodati of Niagara Falls wants other cities to do this too.
"I challenge communities around the world to light their landmarks in yellow, the colour of hope," he said last week. "I know it will be a moving site when all of our global landmarks are lit yellow in solidarity and when children are using yellow chalk to write Crush the Curve on their sidewalks. We are all in this together."
Hamilton has its own landmark in the form of the Hamilton sign in front of city hall. The mayor's office frequently lights up the sign in different colours to call attention to various causes.
The Hamilton sign is lit up this week for a different COVID-19 effort.
"The Hamilton sign will be blue until Thursday in support of our frontline healthcare workers, first responders and all City of Hamilton staff fighting COVID-19," the mayor's office said in a statement.
Niagara has had 34 cases and one death so far. Hamilton has 91 cases and one death. Twelve of Hamilton's cases have required hospitalization.