Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke is urging citizens to keep complacency about COVID-19 at bay.
In a video message to the community, the mayor applauded the city's residents for doing a "great job keeping the case numbers low" in the city.
But he noted record numbers of cases are occurring daily in the region, in the province and across Canada.
"I can't emphasize enough how important it is not to lose sight of the emergency at hand," said Clarke.
He said he understands the mantra that has been repeated for almost nine months - to wash hands, to exercise physical distancing and to wear a face mask when that's not possible - can sound like white noise.
"However, we simply cannot let complaceny set in," said the mayor. "I challenge you to set aside your COVID fatigue and really think about what is at stake here."
While there is positive news on the horizon in terms of vaccines that appear to be effective, they are - at the least - months away.
He recognized the toll the pandemic continues to take on the community and on individuals' mental health and urged people to do what they can to stay healthy.
"Let's help each other focus on the good in life while still making the sacrifices necessary to make our communities safe," he implored.
Click on the link above to hear the entire message.
