FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2020
MEDIA CONTACTS
Tanisha Jumper, Media and Communications, tjumper@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5152
Maria Lee, Media and Communications, maria.lee@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-2054
A Statement From Mayor Victoria Woodards on
TACOMA, Wash. – “Governor Jay Inslee’s extension of the ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ order was not an easy announcement to hear. I know that this ongoing effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 will be hard on businesses and difficult for families. But I want to commend our Governor for making this necessary decision. It is necessary because, while we may be making progress in slowing the spread of the virus, progress only comes as a result of steps like these to drastically limit our day-to-day activity. I ask every member of our Tacoma community to come together to defeat COVID-19 by staying home and staying healthy.
In the 1918 Flu Pandemic, there is some evidence that those communities that responded more rapidly also recovered more quickly. That’s why complying with ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ is a vital long-term economic strategy as well as a critically important way to save lives. It’s a way that we can all work together to ensure that Tacoma has the best possible outcomes when this trying time has passed.
Sheltering in place for these upcoming weeks will literally save lives.
When you consider your daily actions, think about saving the lives of your parents, your grandparents, your child with asthma, or your aunt or uncle with diabetes. We all have the opportunity to be a super hero.
While we are socially distancing and staying at home, there are still many things we can do to connect with and support one another.
From choosing only the things we need at the grocery store, making an appointment to donate blood, chalking the sidewalk with uplifting messages for first responders, delivering needed supplies to the porch of an elderly neighbor, or crossing the street to maintain a safe distance if we see someone approaching while we are out on a neighborhood walk, there are many things we can do every day to strengthen and support our community. I hope you will join me in looking for ways to care for one another in this critical time.
Joining me in the City of Tacoma’s response to COVID-19, your Council Members, the City’s executive leaders, emergency response staff, and employees at every level of the organization have demonstrated great innovation, nimbleness, and a willingness to adapt in order to continue vital operations at the City while taking steps to comply with recommendations to preserve the health of our community.
We are here with you and for you.
We will get through this because we are Compassionate Tacoma, and we’ll do it the Tacoma way – Together.”
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