Coronavirus shifts venue for Jefferson City Memorial Day ceremony

JEFFERSON CITY — The traditional Memorial Day ceremony held at the Jefferson City National Cemetery will not be taking place this year due to federal coronavirus restrictions.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said ceremonies at national cemeteries will not be open to the public.

In a news release the department said though not public, "each VA national cemetery will conduct a brief wreath laying ceremony, accompanied by a moment of silence and the playing of Taps."

Don Hentges, The Jefferson City Veterans Council President, said they were disappointed when they heard the news.

"It was kinda, I don't know, deflated us, a lot of people look forward to this ceremony, we had put a lot of planning into it," Hentges said.

He said the Jefferson City Veterans Council had plans to have the ceremony with social distancing guidelines in place.

Knowing it could no longer take place like the council hoped, Hentges said, he along with others in the community decided to come up with an alternative plan.

"The plan now is we will have a short, abbreviated ceremony at the Veterans Memorial, on the north side of the capitol," Hentges said.

He said the public is invited to attend.

"If they feel they wanna come out, they can come out," Hentges said. "We'll have to practice social distancing."

Hentges said the plans to honor those who have died while serving in the U.S. military will continue on Memorial Day.

"We need to honor the people that died for our freedoms, and we owe it to them to keep those freedoms," Hentges said.

The ceremony will take place at the Veterans Memorial at 10:30 a.m. on Memorial Day.