President Joe Biden announced Monday, Dec. 30 that there will be a national day of mourning to honor the death of former President Jimmy Carter and all U.S. flags will fly at half-staff. Here’s what we know about the day of mourning and how long flags will be lowered.
Carter, who severed as a governor of Georgia and president of the U.S., died at 100 on Sunday, Dec. 29, at his home in Georgia. Carter will be buried in Plains, Georgia, where his late wife Rosalynn Carter was buried after her 2023 death.
When is the national day of mourning?
Biden set Jan. 9 as a national day of mourning across the country. Federal offices, including the post office, will close for the day.
It is not the same as a federal holiday, and banks don’t have to close. Private businesses might choose to.
Stock trading will be closed on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. Nasdaq bond markets will operate on reduced hours.
It’s also the day that public memorial services will take place for Carter at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., according to the White House and the Carter Center.
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How long will flags fly at half-staff?
Biden ordered that all flags “at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions” will fly at half-staff for 30 days after Carter’s death.
The flag will also fly at half-staff on all overseas offices of the U.S. government, including military facilities, embassies and ships.
Private companies and citizens can choose to display flags at half-staff.
More: Mississippi Habitat For Humanity remembers Jimmy Carter
What’s the difference in half-staff and half-mast?
The term half-mast applies to ships and naval station. When a flag is displayed on a flagpole on shore, the correct term is half-staff.
Contributing: Emily DeLetter, Gabe Hauari, Catherine Messier and Fernando Cervantes Jr.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Is Jan. 9 a federal holiday in MS? Are banks, post offices open?