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Op-ed:Local response to a global pandemic-The Daily Tar Heel We are so fortunate to have this group of professionals working together for an effective pandemic response. While COVID-19 may bring unprecedented challenges, those working in public health, emergency response and county and town management have trained and planned for crisis situations. They are ready to guide us through it, and it is important we listen to them and heed their guidance. One thing the pandemic has laid bare is our mutual dependence on each other. To get to the other side of this crisis, we need everyone to do their part. We depend on our emergency response leaders to direct the response. We depend on our residents to practice the three Ws and follow our emergency orders. We depend on business owners to follow directives and guidelines from the state and the county. Local elected officials also have a role to play. Each of us must support the work of the operational leadership team and make sure they have the resources they need. Decisions must be made based on the insight and knowledge of that team, best practices and what is within our legal authority. As elected officials, we all should use our public platform to amplify messages from the public health specialists, with the goals of consistency and clarity. Each time county leaders issue a new order, we carefully weigh whether adding or changing a rule will actually help efforts to control the pandemic or hinder efforts by creating confusion about what residents and businesses are supposed to do. For us, our purpose is clear: lead by helping the public understand what they need to do, and let the local public health and emergency services professionals lead the way. Perhaps most important, your council members and commissioners are supporting town and county staff to ensure that basic municipal and social services continue to be delivered. And they are thinking and acting creatively to apply lessons from the past six months to manifest the equitable and thriving Orange County to which we all aspire. Local public health and emergency services officials have stepped up their efforts even more in response to the spike at UNC-Chapel Hill. Likewise, we all need to step up our own efforts as well. Each of us in Orange County is integral to the identity and success of this community. We are in this together. Let's do this together. Penny Rich is the chairperson of the Orange County Board of Commissioners. Pam Hemminger is the mayor of Chapel Hill. Lydia Lavelle is the mayor of Carrboro. Jenn Weaver is the mayor of Hillsborough. https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2020/08/local-elected-oped[9/l/20, 10:35:42 AM]