Ms Maria Velez of Orlando, Florida, hugging the tombstone of her son Stephen on Memorial Day at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, amid the global outbreak of the coronavirus. Memorial Day, established as a national holiday in the US by Congress in 1971, is meant for Americans to honour the fallen soldiers of all wars. The holiday is observed on the last Monday of May and many people visit cemeteries and memorials. For many, the day also marks the start of summer, with crowds heading to beaches, parks and other places. This year, although many people packed beaches, the day has also become a time to mourn the loss of nearly 100,000 people across the United States from Covid-19. More Americans have died in the past 12 weeks than in the Vietnam and Korean wars.