TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said she had to process information quickly to lead her city through the COVID-19 global pandemic, which began five years ago this month.

“It’s amazing that it’s been that long,” she said. “Seems like yesterday.” 

Castor said she looks back on her mask and vaccine mandates with no regrets. The mayor’s mask mandate was temporarily expanded to include crowded outdoor areas when the city hosted the Super Bowl in 2021. Castor also imposed a vaccine mandate for all city employees.

“It was the right decision at that time,” she said. “I would do it all over again.” 

Castor said she did not work from home during the pandemic — instead she and her staff were at city hall making decisions to stop the spread. The mayor said a 31-year career in law enforcement helped prepare her to deal with only the facts at the time.

“You sort of had to gather the facts and the information as it became available, which was really day-by-day or hour-by-hour,” she said. “Then make decisions in the best interest of the community based on that information that we had.”

Castor said with the help of Rev. Bartholomew Banks, the city opened one of the first vaccine sites in the state for underserved communities at St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church.

The mayor is also proud of her Lift Up Local economic recovery plan, which allowed restaurants to expand onto city sidewalks and streets to meet social distancing requirements. It’s a program that’s had a lasting positive impact, according to Castor.

“We found out that it’s beneficial and it is something that our community enjoys even to this day,” she said. “That actually was an initiative that was replicated across the United States. I had mayors calling me from all over.”

For Castor and others across the country, handling the pandemic was a balancing act — working to keep people safe while helping businesses stay open.