PUEBLO – During his weekly address, Mayor Nick Gradisar addressed Pueblo’s 6-month fight against COVID-19 remembering the 36 Puebloans lost to the pandemic and recognizing the sacrifices made by all Puebloans. This week Pueblo passed 1,000 positive cases of the virus since the first case was announced in March.

“I want to send my sympathies to our Pueblo families who lost a loved one due to COVID-19. Every life is precious, and every life lost to this pandemic is one too many. I cannot begin to imagine the grief and loss your family is going through,” said Gradisar. “We also cannot forget the emotional toll of being quarantined and isolated from your family due to the risk of exposure from the virus.”

“For all the strides we have made, we are only 6 months into what will be a very long fight against COVID-19, which we anticipate will last well into 2021. But unlike in the spring, the science is better, we have better tracking tools and our health care professionals can better guide Puebloans to keep our case count low but only if we follow their guidance,” said Gradisar. 

The Mayor called wearing masks “the most meaningful action Puebloans can take to keep Pueblo healthy” and he urged residents to think about the lives and livelihoods at risk if Pueblo does not stay vigilant to avoid a second peak.

He urged Puebloans to do a few simple things to keep the economy on the rebound this winter:  

• Wear a mask.
• Shop online with local businesses or shop, safely, in local stores.
• Have a carry-out night to keep Pueblo’s restaurants open during the winter.

In the coming weeks, the Mayor will launch the “Stronger for Longer Outside” initiative to help restaurants and bars to extend patio season to keep customers safer outside dining in Pueblo’s warm seasonal weather. The City of Pueblo will work with restaurants and bars to help purchase supplies to keep customers dining outside and revenues on the rebound.

In addition, the city is exploring building sidewalk parklets to expand retail dining in parts of the city, the mayor announced:

“The City of Pueblo will be launching our ‘Stronger for Longer Outside’ Initiative to capitalize on Pueblo’s weather to keep our economy on the rebound. We want Puebloans to continue to enjoy our great outdoors, so we encourage businesses to offer outdoor dining or other outside services to keep your business going strong,” said Gradisar.

Mayor Gradisar emphasized actions to adapt to COVID-19 now, will turn into long-term investments when capacity returns.

The full video can be found at:
www.pueblo.us
https://youtu.be/Ww-QuRmuVjM

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