Dear reader,

The last few weeks have been full of uncertainty for many of you here in Chautauqua County when it comes to the COVID-19 coronavirus, and we wanted today to provide you with an update on how we’ve been covering the crisis here at The Post-Journal and the resources we have made available so you and your loved ones can remain up-to-date and prepared in the coming weeks.

First, internally, a large portion of our staff is now working from home, with only essential employees at our main office in Jamestown. Our reporters will still be out and about covering events and bringing the latest and most important local news to you each day. Just as you are with your families, we are assessing each day how best we can keep our employees safe and healthy so that they can continue to bring you the latest local news on how COVID-19 is affecting and altering our way of life.

Second, we’ve devoted nearly all of our reporting resources to coverage of the coronavirus. Over the past couple of weeks, for example, we’ve produced nearly 100 unique local stories on how the virus is impacting our region. We’ve looked into and reported on how funerals are being handled now that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are requiring Americans to limit gatherings to 10 or fewer people; we’ve told the story of Chautauqua County’s first confirmed COVID-19 case and how she has been recovering at home. We’ve spoken with local restaurants on how they’re adjusting to life with only delivery or to-go customers and each day’s edition has an updated list of where you can order. We’ve chronicled how churches are still reaching their members using the internet. We’ve provided a daily list of cancellations and postponements of public events, blood drives and other gatherings so that you can remain informed. Earlier this week, The Post-Journal was the only local media outlet to report on a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Pittsburgh advancing to the clinical trial phase and told the story of Chautauqua County’s first COVID-19 patient. All the while, we have provided the type of local news and sports coverage that you been our staples throughout our long history in Chautauqua County.

We have many other important local stories planned for the coming days including additional tips and strategies parents can use to help their students adapt to learning in a virtual environment now that universities and public and private secondary schools have canceled in-person classes; how the closure of businesses is affecting families that may now find one if not both parents out of work; and how local hospitals are dealing with an increase in patients that may have come in contact with the coronavirus.

To help you sort through all this information, we’ve also added a section on our website labeled “COVID-19 Coverage” (https://www.post-journal.com/news/covid-19-coverage) devoted solely to coverage of COVID-19. This section contains all of the latest local, state, national and international coverage of COVID-19 and how it is reshaping life across the globe. We’re continually updating this section so you can remain informed on everything from business closings to new numbers of those testing positive for the virus. Visit post-journal.com and sign up for our COVID-19 newsletters, which push news out to your email inbox as it is posted on our website.

Last, we ask that you and your loved ones stay safe as we collectively go through this challenging time. We will do our part to keep you as up-to-date as possible with local news from a staff that you can trust. Local news matters, now more than ever, and we work each day, in all that we do, to remain your trusted local news source.