Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams Urges Residents to Remain Vigilant, Continue Following CDC Recommendations During COVID-19 Pandemic

First, I want to extend a huge thank you to all of our residents for doing your part to help us reduce the spread of coronavirus. Your kind and generous spirit has been uplifting and I’m always amazed by our nonprofits, emergency and medical personnel and the daily examples of neighbors helping neighbors navigate through an unprecedented health crisis. You’ve been a beacon of hope and a shining light during a dark and challenging time for our great city. 

I also want to address Governor Abbott’s executive order to lift the state’s mask mandate and to open up Texas 100% by next Wednesday, March 10, 2021. I know COVID-19 has been particularly difficult for our entire community and certainly has impacted our small businesses in a substantial way. I support Governor Abbott’s mission to restart the Texas economy and restore normal life for Texans in every town and city. Governor Abbott has given us a choice. Our work to keep our residents and businesses safe isn’t over yet. A significant portion of our population either hasn’t built up COVID-19 antibodies, through either being vaccinated or having had the virus recently. Mask wearing will still play a key role in helping us achieve herd immunity. So I want to remind our residents to be vigilant and to continue practicing the CDC protocols in place since the start of this pandemic. These protocols continue to be endorsed by our Arlington Fire Department and the City’s Public Health Authority. 

It’s still important to wear a mask, to maintain social distancing and to make sure you register for a vaccine through Tarrant County Public Health. Personal responsibility will still play a key role in helping us defeat this virus. And while I’m encouraged by the ramping up of vaccine distribution and the FDA’s recent approval of Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccines, we still need to look out for one another and help our more vulnerable residents. I’m proud of what I’ve seen here in Arlington since the opening of the community vaccination center at Globe Life Field and the great work by the Arlington Fire Department at Esports Stadium Arlington + Expo Center. However, as fast as we’ve been moving to get Tarrant County vaccinated, there’s still hundreds of thousands of residents patiently waiting and it’s going to take some time to get every adult in our local population the shots they need to stay out of the hospital and eliminate the spread of COVID-19.

Thank you again for remaining vigilant, for helping your fellow neighbor and for making sure you do your part to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Let’s remain #ArlingtonStrong and continue displaying acts of #ArlingtonKindness. The finish line is in sight, but we still need everyone working together to defeat this virus and help us get back to normal life sooner rather than later. 

Sincerely, 
Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams