West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James delivered some optimistic news regarding the city's fight against the coronavirus.

“We are in the very early stages of thinking about the process of reopening our city, and what that might look like … we have to look at our reopening not as a big splash, but rather as a gradual flow like the slow opening of a faucet,” James said this past Friday.

The mayor emphasized that it’s important to have an even stronger health care system and reliable tests readily available before the city fully opens.

“We need to make sure we’re having ample testing, so we know who is affected by this virus, so we can adjust accordingly and make sure appropriate people have been quarantined and isolated and not risk a spike once we do reopen,” said James.

Assistant Chief/Emergency Manager Brent Bloomfield said Friday that city has deployed a nursing home and assistant living facility task force to assess the needs of the city’s most vulnerable population. Bloomfield said this includes mobile coronavirus testing for those who do not have the ability to travel to testing sites.

“We are seeing a flattening of the curve. It is due to the diligence of our city, businesses and citizens,” said Bloomfield. “Washing your hands, social distancing and wearing masks is working.”

This is some very welcome news for residents and businesses in the Palm Beaches!