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President-elect Joe Biden’s first major transition announcement is the formation of a COVID-19 advisory board that includes a Trump administration whistleblower.

USA TODAY

Together, we face another critical juncture in this pandemic. Spread in our county is at an all-time high, our health care workers are strained and our hospitals are reaching capacity.

In order to protect our public servants, we’re immediately adjusting our operations and reinforcing mask-wearing and hand hygiene.

Extra precautions now will save lives. These steps will also ensure our team of dedicated public servants can continue to serve our community.

As we continue to pull together as a community, we’re thankful to see light — and potential vaccines — at the end of the pandemic tunnel. Meanwhile, each one of us must make decisions that will make a dramatic difference in stopping the spread of COVID-19, the third-leading cause of death this year in Iowa.

Even small sacrifices make a difference.

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Terry Donahue, mayor of North Liberty, speaks during a press conference providing updates on the novel coronavirus, Monday, March 23, 2020, at the Johnson County Emergency Operations Center in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)

We can skip in-person gatherings, particularly indoors, because every interaction — connected to an exponential network of others’ interactions — is a chance to catch or spread the virus. We must wear masks whenever we do interact with people outside our household, since science shows masks protect others in case the wearer is infected and protect the wearer from others who might be infected.

► More Wednesday from White House to Iowa’s leaders: ‘Unyielding COVID spread’ requires stronger steps

We’re all tired of only seeing family over FaceTime, of holding meetings via Zoom and asking our kids to learn and play online. It hurts to adapt holiday traditions, even when it’s to keep the people we love safe and healthy.

We all have a part to play in this. Our personal choices matter, and I urge you to join me in this vigilance as we see this through.

There has been too much pain and sorrow around us. We need everyone’s help in beating this dread disease.

► The Iowans we’ve lost to COVID-19: Join us in remembering the Iowans we’ve lost to COVID-19. Together, let’s carry their stories with us.

Terry Donahue is the mayor of North Liberty. He was elected to North Liberty City Council in 2008 and was elected mayor in 2017. 

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