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Superior is a proud, resilient, strong and caring community. Those words are always front of mind when I speak of our community. We always find a way to take care of our neighbors, family and friends, and this is what makes us resilient and strong.
I write this Mayor’s Minute today with deep sadness and a request to enlist your help in fighting this invisible enemy to slow the spread of COVID-19. We have lost three residents to the COVID-19 Pandemic in two weeks’ time. As I write this, there are 36 positive cases in our community. I offer our deepest condolences to the families of Mr. Olmos, Mrs. Kim Chavez- Byrd and Mr. Ernie Munoz.
No matter how hard we have worked to stave off this virus, it was inevitable that it would find its way into Superior through community spread. We held it at bay for a long time and this was due to our hard work as a community. The overall community spread across the nation and the State of Arizona was not something we could defeat alone and now we must do all we can to protect our town.
Our best defense to protect Superior is for all of us to work together. Some of these protocols are difficult and they do limit our social contacts, but by working on this together, we can protect our community.
I want to publicly thank those of you who have tested positive and shared on social media and through other avenues about your test results. This has allowed others who may have been in contact with you to be tested and take measures to self-quarantine. We mustn’t be critical of those who have tested positive because there is almost no way to completely avoid coming in contact with the virus at some point and this virus is tricky…you can be carrying it and never feel sick. Even though you may not feel sick and have no symptoms, you can still spread it to someone else who could get very sick, or worse.
If you have tested positive, please tell the people you have been in contact with. They need to get tested and also quarantine. If you are feeling sick and have not been tested, please stay home but do reach out to your medical professional. If you test positive, you may or may not be contacted by any other health officials and thorough contact tracing is almost impossible due to the rapid spread across our county and state. When you stay home during your quarantine period to recover or to receive a negative test result, you are helping to stop the spread. You are helping to defend Superior, your family and your friends against COVID-19.
Our community loves to get together, to dance, to sing and see our friends and family; these are activities and interactions that we all miss dearly. Our social activities are another wonderful attribute of Superior. This destructive virus is spread quickly, especially when many people are together in social spaces like bars, restaurants and even home parties. Please avoid hosting or attending large group gatherings.
Young residents, I need your help the most! I know how difficult this is, and you may be feeling angered and frustrated by these requests, but please know you will be helping to save the lives of the elders of Superior. These are your and your friends’ grandparents, parents, Tia’s and Tio’s. Consider this request the ultimate honor to protect those who have raised and protected you, do not attend or host these large gatherings and if you are hanging out with your friends, wear a mask. Believe me, that is more lit – than being hooked up to a ventilator or not being able to be there with a loved one if they were to get sick and pass away.
Superior definitely is a “pro-hug” town. The first thing we do when we see a friend or family member it to greet them with a handshake, a fist bump, or a giant hug. Right now, we need to try and avoid this as much as possible. Close contact with people that are not in our households may increase spread of the virus. Please keep your close contacts outside of your household to a minimum.
Other things you can do that also help us protect our community: wash your hands, wear a mask, sanitize high touch areas frequently and stay home as much as you can.
Due to the increasing number of cases and recent orders issued by Governor Doug Ducey, we will be postponing our Fourth of July Laser Lights Show. Our goal, which can only be achieved with all of us working together, is to slow the spread of the virus in Superior. It is our hope to encourage all Superiorites to slow the spread here in our community, and to be able to host our July 4th event in 45 to 60 days. COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon, but if we can slow the spread, we can begin to enjoy our lives with the increased safety measures.
Before I close, I want to offer my thanks to all of our staff at the Town of Superior who have been working to ensure that we maintain quality services despite the challenges that the pandemic has created and especially to our business community. This virus has taken a toll on your livelihoods, not just your day-to-day operations. I appreciate that the majority of our businesses have adopted our Superior Safety Pledge and followed the CDC guidances for re-opening operations. We remain committed to finding ways to support our locally owned businesses because you support our community.
This is not the first time Superior has been knocked down, and it may not be the last, but one thing is certain: Superior won’t be down for long! We always get back up to win the fight. This fight we are in now is perhaps the most important one in our history: to win this battle against the pandemic and protect and care for our families, friends and neighbors. We will get through this, and we will be a stronger and more resilient community for having fought this battle.
Together, WE are Superior
Mila Besich is a resident of Superior with two children. She volunteers for many local organizations. She is an experienced fundraiser and event planner for Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition. She covers some of the area town councils and schools.
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