East Petersburg Mayor James Malone noted that Sunday, May 2, has been proclaimed Bells Across Pennsylvania Day. On May 2, at 7 p.m., residents, businesses, and churches will be encouraged to ring bells for three minutes in a solid chorus of statewide support for the Pennsylvanians who put themselves in harm's way to serve the public during the pandemic.

Elected officials across the commonwealth have joined together to promote the second annual Bells Across Pennsylvania Day to show gratitude for their hometown heroes. On March 6, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a statewide disaster emergency was issued. In every municipality, essential service providers have continued their work at the expense of themselves and their families to serve the general public. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, more than 1 million Pennsylvanians have contracted COVID-19 and over 25,000 residents have died from the virus.

"The Pennsylvania State Mayors' Association held the event last year as a way to say thank you to everyone from nurses to police to firemen to grocery store workers," said Malone. "I'm in information technology and I'm designated as an essential service provider, but I don't typically have to interact with others. People working on the front lines don't have that opportunity."

Malone said he views this event as an opportunity to promote social interaction. "Across the nation, people have fallen into the mentality of not interacting with anyone, and that's not good," he said. "This gives everyone a chance to realize we're all in this together."

Event planning will be local. Malone encourages each municipality to determine whom they want to honor, how they want to honor them, and where they want to honor them.

"We know that these workers are struggling and taking risks to help others," stated Malone. "These people are the reason we're still functioning as well as we are."