Mayor appreciates community response
One year ago, an eight-minute, unseen in the night skies, tornado challenged Columbus.
Today, an unseen, even in the daylight, virus challenges our city.
I am thankful and proud of the people of Columbus as we all make sacrifices in our daily lives to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. One week ago, the Mayor and city council passed strong guidelines designed to protect us all. Those rules remain in effect with the hopes that soon, we can return to our regular routines.
Our citizens have been supportive of the measures while understanding the need for this protection. None of us like this, but we know these rules are for the good of us all.
This week we held two virtual town hall meetings. In the first, Jeff Turnage, our city attorney, and Police Chief Fred Shelton answered questions concerning the curfew and the new rules on large gatherings. In the second meeting, we met with three local pastors on how churches are affected by the changes. This past Saturday, we hosted a webinar with Fairview Baptist Church to show churches how they can stream services at no charge to their congregations.
I want to thank the local business and restaurant owners. In particular, John Bean of Harvey’s and several other restaurants have been in contact with city leaders to express support and understanding. Bean has also provided us with much-needed wisdom from the view of these businesses. Other business owners and managers have also expressed their cooperation during the time. For that, I am thankful.
“When will this end?” is the question from us all. We continue to monitor the hourly guidance of health and safety experts. Your safety and the safety of our city is paramount. Thank you for your cooperation and patience.
Mayor Robert Smith, Sr.
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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