Empire State Building shines flashing red to honor medical workers amid coronavirus

Joshua Bote | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Coronavirus: Empire State Building lit up for first responders in NYC The Empire State Building lit up like an ambulance to show solidarity for first responders during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Empire State Building is commemorating doctors, nurses and other medical employees working at the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic by showing a flashing red light, like an ambulance siren.

The spectacle, which was met with both alarm and gratitude on social media, is intended to resemble a “heartbeat,” according to a statement from the building’s owners.

“The Empire State Building has always served as an international symbol of hope, of challenges overcome, and of New York City itself,” said Anthony E. Malkin, chairman and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust, in a statement.

The @EmpireStateBldg reminding us that the city is in the middle of an emergency. pic.twitter.com/50TjEjOogN — Rita J. King (@RitaJKing) March 31, 2020

A little on the nose, Empire State Building. pic.twitter.com/kixDjTU4lk — southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) March 31, 2020

Each night through Thursday, the light will sync up to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind,” considered by some to be a New York City anthem.

"We'll never stop shining for you," tweeted the skyscraper's account Monday.

New York has become an epicenter for COVID-19 in the United States, with over 38,000 confirmed cases and 900 deaths as of Tuesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins.

New York prepares for coronavirus deaths with makeshift morgue New York City built a makeshift morgue for the expected influx of coronavirus deaths.

The USNS Comfort, a hospital ship with 1,000 beds and 12 operating rooms, landed on the city’s shores Monday as Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked medical professionals to travel to the hard-struck state in order to mitigate the outbreak.

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