#9/11 memorials starting off in New York City this morning

The 19th annual 9/11 memorial got underway in Lower Manhattan on Friday — an American ritual that looked different this year amid the coronavirus pandemic but was marked by the same sentiments of honor and respect for the nearly 3,000 killed that day.

Pre-recorded audio of the names of the 2,983 men, women and children killed in the attacks at the Twin Towers, Pentagon and aboard Flight 93, as well as those who died in the February 26, 1993 WTC bombing, were set to pipe through speakers throughout the plaza — a departure from the live readings of prior memorials.

Six moments of silence will be observed, like in years past — twice to mark the times that each hijacked plane struck the North Tower and South Tower (8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m.), twice to mark the times when each tower fell (9:59 a.m. and 10:28 a.m.), and to mark the moments of the attack on the Pentagon (9:37 a.m.) and the crash of the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pa. (10:03 a.m.).

Only family members were allowed to gather at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza, while first responders were urged to stay home this year as the pandemic plays out.

Dignitarites, including Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, attended the event.

The 9/11 Memorial Museum will open its doors on Friday for the first time in six months since shuttering amid the pandemic — first to victims’ families then to the general public on Saturday.

Capacity will be reduced to 25 percent and visitors must wear masks at all times.

Earlier on Friday, President Trump issued a proclamation declaring 9/11 as “Patriots Day,” ordering flags to be flown at half-staff and Americans to observe a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m.

“In 2001, our Nation, united under God, made an unbreakable promise never to forget the nearly 3,000 innocent Americans who were senselessly killed on September 11th,” the proclamation said.

“This Patriot Day, we commemorate the lives of those who perished on September 11, 2001, we pray for the families who carry on their legacies, and we honor the unmatched bravery of our Nation’s first responders,” the proclamation says. “We also commend those who, in the days and years following the attack, answered the call to serve our country and continue to risk their lives in defense of the matchless blessings of freedom.”

Pence and the second lady will also attend a memorial held by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation around the corner at Liberty and Church streets, where a live reading of the victims will be held.

“After 19 years, the pain is still greater than ever,” said Elizabeth Jordan Kobel, whose brother, firefighter Andrew B. Jordan, died after running into the North Tower. “Andrew was a brother, a son, father, a husband and an American hero.

“Despite the fear and the danger, he ran in to save people. His desire to save people was greater than anything.”