In Washington, 164 pairs of shoes in memory of nurses who died from Covid-19 - France 24

Washington (AFP)

An American nurses union on Tuesday deposited 164 pairs of white shoes in front of Congress in Washington to pay tribute to nurses who died of Covid-19 and call on the Senate to vote a gigantic aid plan to fight the pandemic.

The pairs of white plastic clogs were lined up on the lawn in front of the Capitol building, seat of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

"Two months ago, on May 8, we were in front of the White House surrounded by 88 pairs of shoes, each representing a nurse who died from Covid-19," said Stephanie Simms, of National Nurses United (NNU), the first trade union for the profession with 155,000 members.

The pandemic then killed more than 70,000, a death toll that almost doubled to 140,000 deaths in the United States, the most affected country in the world.

"Today we have 164 pairs of shoes. They show the complete and absolute bankruptcy" of President Donald Trump and of Congress who "abandoned the nurses who continue to die", she denounced to the press.

The lower house, with a Democratic majority, voted in mid-May an aid plan of a titanic amount of 3 trillion dollars, to rescue the United States economy ravaged by the coronavirus and to finance the production of equipment of the protection that caregivers need.

But the Senate, controlled by the Republicans, did not adopt the plan, and negotiations resumed on a new text.

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did nothing, he did nothing at all and the nurses continued to die," said Stephanie Simms.

She called on Mr McConnell to "use his immense powers to make the right choice" as the Senate finds itself in session this week after the parliamentary recess.

© 2020 AFP