National Cathedral mourning bell tolls 300 times for those lost to COVID-19

The mourning bell at the National Cathedral in D.C. tolled 300 times Tuesday night in memory of the 300,000 people who have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ MORE: Washington National Cathedral to reopen to public for first time since March

"I have grown weary of tolling this bell. I don’t want to toll this bell any more. I don’t want to lose any more lives. I don’t want us to think this is normal, or that it is just the price we must pay for living in a free society. God forgive us if we find ourselves tolling this bell again at 400,000 lives lost,” said Rev. Randy Hollerith, dean of the Cathedral.

Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather

The bell rang for 30 minutes.

WATCH LIVE ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE

The cathedral livestreamed the event from the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea, where the names of thousands of coronavirus victims are displayed.

READ MORE: Washington National Cathedral illuminated with words Black Lives Matter

More than 16 million cases of the virus have been reported since it arrived in the U.S. last year, and its impact has been felt in every walk of life.

After months of plummeting case in the region, jurisdictions around the nation’s capital have seen a resurgence of the novel coronavirus, prompting Maryland, Virginia and D.C. to implement new restrictions in an effort to slow its spread.