On behalf of myself and the entire City Council, I want to thank all Vineland residents and businesses for their help and cooperation as we continue to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 virus. We understand that many of you are nervous, scared, or frustrated. This is understandable, but rest assured that we are doing everything we can to keep Vineland residents safe.

During this unprecedented event, we have all come together to do what’s best for our community. City employees are working incredibly hard to maintain essential services. This includes City Hall staff, our public safety professionals, municipal utilities employees, and public works employees who are coming to work every day under enormous pressure. Your efforts are truly appreciated.

To our medical personal—doctors, nurses, and support staff who are on the front-lines and facing critical shortages of supplies and equipment—we cannot thank you enough for the selfless work you are doing to help others. It is truly inspiring.

I want to thank the Vineland Public School District for their collaboration and input during a very serious and quickly evolving situation to ensure that we are living up to our commitment of putting the well-being of our school communities at the forefront of our response.

While the Vineland schools are closed, principals, teachers, food service staff, and maintenance staff are working around the clock to ensure our students still have access to healthy meals and online learning opportunities.

Grocery and convenience store workers—and every other service industry employee, from restaurant workers providing takeout to bank employees looking after our money—deserve our gratitude. They did not sign up for this, and we could not get through this without them.

I also want to recognize the journalists and media outlets that are helping to keep the public informed and who have temporarily waived paywalls on their websites so that more people have access. The information you provide will help save lives.

And please remember to check on your friends and neighbors, especially the elderly who are most at risk. While it is critical that we practice social distancing, it does not mean social isolation. Whether it’s a telephone call, e-mail, Facebook chat, Skype, or other available platforms, now, more than ever, people need to find creative ways to stay connected. I am sure such thoughtfulness will be greatly appreciated.

In the meantime, we will continue to work with our Federal, State, and County partners to mitigate the spread of the virus in our community, and lay the groundwork for a stronger Vineland when we emerge from this crisis.