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St. Pete Mayor Kriseman wants to make city Florida's 'most COVID-safe' community

Mayor Rick Kriseman said the city has been "a step ahead of the virus since day one," but the city "can do more and we can do better."

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman believes his city can be the "most-COVID-safe community" in the state of Florida.

He believes those who live in St. Pete can make this happen by continuing health and safety efforts implemented nine months ago, but also doubling down on getting tested and adjusting holiday travel and gathering plans.

"We've been a step ahead of the virus since day one, but we haven't been perfect," Kriseman said Monday morning outside City Hall. "We can do more and we can do better."

Kriseman was joined by Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin and other city leaders to launch the Race to Safe initiative -- a citywide program that encourages residents to recommit themselves to stopping the spread of COVID-19. The program includes physical reminders around the city, social media messaging and an online toolkit with guidance for "simple precautions" to avoid contracting and spreading the virus.

"One request is common: communication is key," Tomalin said. "We cannot share enough information, resources and guidance."

The Race to Safe page also has a small dashboard showing Pinellas County's two-week average percent positive compared to nine other Florida counties. As of Monday, Pinellas ranks at the top for the lowest two-week average positivity rate -- 5.8 percent.

Still, Kriseman said "it's not good enough. We must bring that number down."

"This isn't about politics. It isn't about posturing," Kriseman said. "It's about public health. It's about saving lives."

According to the latest data on the county's dashboard, more than 34,000 people in Pinellas have tested positive for coronavirus and more than 311,000 have been tested for it since March. The county's health department said 925 people have died from complications related to the virus.

In Florida, a total of 1,058,074 people have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began, and 19,423 people have died.

"Let's honor these people by doing the right thing," Kriseman said. "By wearing a mask; by making good decisions."

Kriseman said he and his team will continue to educate and enforce existing orders related to the virus, but they are not implementing any additional restrictions.

"It's been a long nine months, but we have just a little further to go," he said.

Across the bay in Tampa, a list of coronavirus mitigation efforts are in the works.

On Monday, the city started flashing new messaging such as "Six Feet Apart" and "Safer At Home" on electronic billboards around the city.

You can expect to see marketing campaigns with community partners such as "COVID Chronicles" which will be a behind the scenes look with frontline workers from Tampa General Hospital.

City employees are also putting the finishing touches on a "Get in the Game Campaign" which includes the Buccaneers, Lightning, Rays, and Rowdies.

Gov. Ron DeSantis' office shared the following statement with 10 Tampa Bay after being asked about his encouraging virus mitigation efforts:

“Anything that educates the public about mitigation efforts they can take is something the Governor would support. He’s made it clear that mitigation is a force multiplier along with vaccines and therapeutics coming online. He understands that personal freedom and social responsibility are not mutually exclusive and that the people of Florida are doing all they can, consistent with our Constitutional freedoms, to defeat COVID – 19.”

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