In this time of crisis and uncertainty that we are all experiencing together, we recognize the essential role we play to help keep our community informed and safe. We want to assure you that we are taking every precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while we continue to serve the community.

Media is listed among the essential businesses and organizations that must be allowed to continue to operate to inform the public, and we take that responsibility very serious.

All members of our staff, particularly those who are out in the public gathering news that is so important, are taking additional precautions to stay healthy. For production employees as well as our distribution team, we are implementing several ongoing safety measures — including disinfecting production equipment and using gloves and hand sanitizer to prevent any potential spread of infection.

We also recognize you may have questions about the safety of mail/packages, and that would certainly apply to print newspapers. According to information from the World Health Organization (WHO), a highly credible source of factual information, the likelihood of an infected person contamination commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, traveled and exposed to different conditions and temperatures is also low. This would apply to newspapers as well.

That said, I know we are living in extraordinary times and understand you may prefer to read our newspapers via the available e-edition. You can also access our complete coverage on our websites — www.oleantimesherald.com, www.bradfordera.com and www.salamancapress.com — which continue to be updated throughout the day.

Our readers and our communities are forefront in our minds as we navigate these uncharted waters together. We are committed as ever to our mission to keep you informed with print and digital coverage that is credible, compelling and complete. We thank you for your support of community journalism, which events have shown is more important than ever.

I hope you and your family remain safe during this unprecedented public health crisis that is affecting every aspect of our lives and our communities.

Jim Bonn, Chief Operating Officer                                                         Bradford Publishing Company