Washington, Mar 15 (IANS): Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has declared March 14 as Remembrance Day for those who lost their lives due to Covid-19 across the US state in the past year.

On March 14, 2020, Louisiana had registered its first death due to the coronavirus, reports Xinhua news agency.

Since then, the Louisiana Department of Health has reported a total of 9,861 deaths in the state.

"One year ago, we reported Louisiana's first death due to Covid-19. Over the last 365 days, we've lost 9,860 more of our friends, neighbors, brothers, and sisters. As we move toward the light at the end of what's been a long tunnel, we will never forget those we've lost," the Governor said in a statement on Sunday.

"We owe it to all of them to protect ourselves and each other as best we can to continue to slow the spread of Covid and prevent even more deaths as we work to end this pandemic," he added.

The first known case of Covid-19 in Louisiana was reported on March 9, 2020.

Just days later on March 11, Edwards declared a public health emergency in the southern state.

There has been a total of 437,393 confirmed coronavirus cases in Louisiana.