The Lion’s Roar has joined with the Louisiana Press Association and newspapers around the nation with a special front page showing support for our community, and our country, in the battle against coronavirus.

As the United States faces the worst public health crisis in a generation, we want you to know we are here for you — and with you.

Whatever happens, whenever it happens, your newspaper will be there for you. We’ll be there to let you know how our community is managing through this crisis — from business to government to the health care system and schools to the drastic impact on individuals and families.

And we’ll be there to let you know about the good and extraordinary things happening in the midst of this crisis — the Southeastern Food Pantry partnering with the Wesley Foundation, the city and nonprofit workers attending to the homeless community, the volunteers bringing food to elderly people who cannot leave their homes, the health workers putting themselves in harm’s way to care for the sick.

Amidst the sadness and anxiety, there are uplifting moments that remind us of the resilience of the human spirit, and we’ll be there to document those, too.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards cited the exponential growth in positive cases as the reason he issued an order for all residents to stay home.

“You have it within your power the opportunity to save lives if you simply minimize your contact with other people,” Edwards told residents during a press conference, repeatedly asking them to comply with the stay-at-home order.

We are here to help you make sense of the situation and to help you navigate it.

Having fact-based, reliable reporting that provides public scrutiny and oversight is more important than ever. Together, across the decades, this newspaper and its readers have navigated horrific events — natural disasters, terrorism, financial downturns and periods of extreme political and societal division.

This challenge is greater than any of those, but, rest assured, we’ll be here for you. Southeastern is a resilient community where people come together to build and rebuild. Let’s stick together, and we will get through this, too.