Just over one month ago, I declared a state of emergency in the City of Jamestown over the public health pandemic known as COVID-19.

At that time, my team and I, along with our public schools, recognized the tremendous impact this public health crisis was going to have on our community. It was never a matter of if, but when the virus would come to Jamestown. We were proactive and prepared, and it shows. We closed all public spaces and offices, we stopped all non-essential projects, we increased public safety capabilities, and we enforced executive orders to stop the spread. As a city, we sent all of our non-essential employees home, with pay, so that we both could prevent the spread and that no employee would have to worry about feeding their families during this unprecedented time.

While most of the area took a “wait and see” approach, we, as one community, refused to accept that. We heeded the public safety warnings, we listened, and we stayed home. It shows. Every day I come into work, I am briefed on the number of cases and tests completed in the greater Jamestown area, county, and state. To see our city’s active cases stay so low points to the fact that our actions are not in vain. That the steps we took while others waited, meant that we, as a community, are succeeding at slowing the spread of this virus.

I have never been prouder of our community than I am right now. In times of crisis, you have shown me that we can overcome, that we can prevail. It gives me hope for our future. But, make no mistake, we are not out of the woods yet. Just because we have slowed the spread, doesn’t mean we have yet stopped it. We have several more weeks to go before we begin to see some normalcy back in our lives. We must continue to make the difficult decisions to act with the health and safety of our entire community and the most vulnerable in mind.

I look forward to the day I can once again come to your door or see you at an event, shake your hand, and say “thank you” for doing your part in helping protect our community during this vulnerable time. We are in this together.

Eddie Sundquist is mayor of Jamestown.