Press Release by George Long, City Manager of Bartow, FL.
Regarding Citywide residential distribution of cloth masks:
These are unprecedented times. Since early March of this year, I have held weekly emergency policy meetings with Bartow senior staff to develop and execute the approach that we’ve taken in response to COVID-19. Protecting the health of all those who live and work in our community and ensuring the continued delivery of essential city services has been the focus of these efforts.
Many of us have experienced interruptions to our normal way of life in 2020, including park closures, the cancellation of our July 4th holiday events, and the expected cancellations of our fall and winter holiday parades. Even with these interruptions, I am proud to say that our City and its people have been remarkably resilient in coping with the pandemic’s everyday challenges. Thanks to your ingenuity and sense of individual responsibility, our community businesses and restaurants have been able to safely reopen and many of us are back at work helping to restore our economy to pre-pandemic levels. With your help and continued responsible efforts, we will meet these challenges and see them through to their end!
In a further effort to help prevent the spread of COVID in our community, the City of Bartow is providing four (4) cloth masks to every residence in the City of Bartow via mail. These cloth masks are for use indoors and outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained. Recommendations for proper mask use and cleaning will be included with the package.
Together we can limit and potentially stop the spread of this virus in our community. Please note the #WEAREBARTOW hashtag (We Are Bartow) on the masks. Wear them proudly or pass them along to someone in need. Keep an eye out for you package as your masks will arrive shortly.
Thank you for doing your part. WE ARE BARTOW!
George A. Long, City Manager
