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JBW: Paradise Valley public safety precautions paramount as COVID-19 concerns permeate

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We will continue in our mission to promote the health, safety, wellbeing, and enjoyment of everyone living, visiting, working, or doing business in our great town.
– Jerry Bien-Willner

I want to share with you directly what the Town of Paradise Valley is doing in response to the novel coronavirus. The town continues to take all appropriate measures to protect public health and safety.

These actions began many weeks ago and include implementing best practices with our first responders and at Town Hall, publishing a town webpage (https://www.paradisevalleyaz.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=348) with reliable sources of up-to-date information for the public, and ongoing communication and vigilance in concert with County, State, and Federal agencies and officials.

We are observing best practices for preparation and precaution (and never ignorance or fear) to navigate this situation with prudence, steadiness, and common purpose.

While our Town, like many other smaller municipalities, is not organized to run point on large-scale public health matters, we are plugged in with our valuable governmental partners at the county, state, and federal levels and therefore integrated into a team-based, common approach.

This has served and will continue to serve us very well, and eliminates conflicting messages, needless duplication of effort, and other inefficiencies.

Rest assured that, as your mayor, I am actively staying on top of this evolving situation together with the Town’s very seasoned and accomplished senior professional staff, and I am ready and prepared to take any and all necessary actions for the town and our community, along with the Town Council and professional staff.

I am likewise mindful of the need always to act responsibly and thoughtfully and in the best interests of the public – which clearly includes avoiding confusion of message or causing unnecessary alarm.

In short, we have a plan we are following, we have our eyes and ears open, we’re prepared to act as appropriate, we are united and unafraid, and we will neither overreact nor bury our heads in the sand.

Last, if you have not already done so, let me remind you to register online for the town’s free AlertPV system (https://www.paradisevalleyaz.gov/alertpv). This system improves our first responders’ connectivity to citizens during any kind of emergency situation, and also works to notify citizens of town updates.

We will continue in our mission to promote the health, safety, wellbeing, and enjoyment of everyone living, visiting, working, or doing business in our great town.

As we get through this challenge together, please continue to do your part to follow the excellent and timely advice coming from national experts on this issue to stay healthy, informed, and reduce the chances of spread.

Editor's note: Mr. Bien-Willner is mayor of the Town of Paradise Valley