Tribute In Light shines above the skyline on eve of 9/11 attack anniversary

The 9/11 Tribute in Light shines above the lower Manhattan skyline.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum’s annual Tribute in Light was initially cancelled this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

However, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reversed this decision, announcing that the state will provide health personnel and supervision to maintain the light installation

In a year when the coronavirus pandemic has reshaped countless American rituals, even the commemoration of 9/11 could not escape unchanged.

The 19th anniversary of the terror attacks will be marked by dueling ceremonies at the Sept. 11 memorial plaza and a corner near the World Trade Center, reflecting a divide over the memorial's decision to suspend a cherished tradition of relatives reading victims' names in person.

Vice President Mike Pence is expected at both those remembrances in New York, and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at the observance on the memorial plaza.

President Donald Trump and Biden both plan to go to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania _ at different times. Trump is speaking at a morning ceremony, with Biden paying respects in the afternoon.

Some victims' relatives say they understand the ground zero observance had to change in a year when so much else has. Others fear the pandemic is making plain what they have feared was happening unspoken: that the commitment to "Never Forget" is fading.

The initial cancellation outraged some victims' relatives, police and fire unions and politicians, who noted that construction sites around the city were deemed safe to reopen months ago.

After the Tunnel to Towers foundation said it would organize the display on its own, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, the memorial's billionaire chairman, stepped in to keep the memorial-sponsored lights on.

Debra Epps has been to the ground zero ceremony every year. She said it means a lot to her to read names and add a few words in tribute to her brother Christopher, an accountant.

Still, she thinks the memorial was right to forgo the live name-reading this year. The virus has her concerned enough that she's not planning to attend.