March 22. By Woody Washam, mayor of Cornelius. The past two weeks have been unprecedented in many ways.
Our leaders have had to make difficult decisions that impact the daily lives of all citizens and will leave a lasting impression on communities around the world.
And yet, in the midst of school and business closures and social distancing guidelines, the Town of Cornelius has stepped up to support one another.
Local citizens and faith communities have reached out to volunteer in any way they can.
Town Hall staff is working relentlessly to keep the day-to-day business running, while also responding to the COVID-19 crisis as quickly as possible.
Local businesses have extended themselves to support the community, first responders and Town staff; and the list goes on.
I’m so proud of how our community is coming together, and I know we will continue to adapt and adjust in the weeks ahead.
Flattening the Curve
WASHAM
As of Saturday, there were more than 40 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County.
Mandates from the national and local level are frequently changing on how we can help stop the spread of the disease.
I urge you to continue following the recommendations of local authorities: stay at home as much as you can, avoid physical contact with others, wash your hands often, cover your cough, and avoid touching your face with unclean hands. Doing these things will help protect our community and alleviate capacity at our healthcare facilities.
To help “flatten the curve” the Town of Cornelius has made the following changes until further notice:
As of today, March 20, all Town facilities are closed to the public. All departments are still working and will continue to provide as many services to the Town as possible.
Our Police and Fire departments remain ready to serve our community and have implemented the recommended procedures and protocols to handle the COVID-19 crisis.
All Town-sponsored programs, activities and events have been canceled or postponed.
All non-essential citizen board and committee meetings have been canceled.
While we plan to host our Board of Commissioners meetings and Budget Workshop, they will be physically closed to the public and we will continue to practice social distancing during each session. Arrangements are also being made for the public to view these meetings virtually.
These decisions have not been easy for us, and we appreciate the continued support of the community as we work to implement them.
Community Matters
Finally, I encourage you to remember our local businesses during this pandemic. We can still support them while respecting social distancing guidelines by:
Taking advantage of curbside or delivery services
Ordering their products online
Buying gift certificates
Tipping generously
Supporting one another is how we will get through the difficult days ahead.
To all my neighbors: please continue to be proactive, prudent, and take precautions to protect yourselves and each other. By working together as a community, we will come out of this crisis stronger!
—Washam is in his third term as mayor of Cornelius
