The head of the Alabama Hospital Association says he’s confident the state's hospitals will not go over capacity in dealing with COVID-19 patients. “I'm feeling optimistic that as long as we practice social distancing, we're going to be okay as a state,” said Dr. Donald Williamson, president and CEO of the association. Read more.
Many currently shuttered businesses in Alabama could reopen over the next few weeks under new recommendations from a task force created by Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth. Some establishments such as restaurants, hair salons, child care centers and small retail stores would open immediately under the plan, while others such as medical services, casinos, gyms and entertainment venues would need to wait until May 1. The state's beaches would also open May 1 and youth sports could resume starting May 11, under the plan from the Small Business Emergency Task Force, which was formed by Ainsworth earlier this month. The recommendations have been sent to Gov. Kay Ivey, who said she would take them into consideration when formulating next steps in Alabama's response to the coronavirus outbreak. The state remains under a stay-at-home order limiting residents to only essential errands until April 30. Read more. Related: Is Stay-in-Place Currently A Wise Policy For Alabama? The Harvard Club of Birmingham Debates.
Even as state officials roll out a plan for “safely reopening Alabama,” as Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth put it, you can be forgiven if you’re still confused about what exactly is currently open and what is closed because of COVID-19 social distancing requirements. At some points since the pandemic closures began, driving by shopping area parking lots could be a pretty good indicator -- grocery and hardware stores had crowds of cars, while other businesses were barren. And while that’s still somewhat true, some businesses are challenging the notion that everybody is equally shut down. Read more.
Now that Alabamians are eating at home more due to the coronavirus and the resulting stay-at-home orders, state farmers are having to shift how they package and process food. “Restaurants — they buy big packages,” Jimmy Parnell, president of the Alabama Farmers Federation, said. “Most of us, for our family, want a family-sized package. So that has changed the demand significantly. When you're selling a pound or two at a time versus 100 pounds at a time, it changes that flow of things.” Read more.
Congressional Democrats are considering a rule change that could allow for remote or proxy voting to keep lawmakers from gathering in the U.S. Capitol during the coronavirus outbreak, but one Alabama congressman spoke out Thursday against the proposal. On a conference call with reporters, U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican from Anniston, said he was "very much opposed" to a proxy voting plan because of security concerns. He's the lead Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. Read more.
In four days, coronavirus is expected to peak in Alabama. That’s according to projections that predict the state will have its highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations on that day. As of Thursday afternoon, there were 553 hospitalizations related to COVID-19, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. UAB Hospital has been preparing to ensure it has enough ICU beds and ventilators ahead of Monday’s peak. For more, we checked in for a Q & A with Dr. Sarah Nafziger, an emergency physician and co-director of UAB Hospital’s Emergency Management Committee about how things are looking. Read more.
The spread of COVID-19 and the strain it has placed on Alabama’s health care system has inspired a new coalition to push for Medicaid expansion in the state, but support from Republican leadership still seems doubtful. Read more.
Congressman Bradley Byrne, R-Mobile, on Thursday led a bi-partisan letter to Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza asking the agency to offer more help and guidance for those seeking Economic Injury Disaster Loans, or EIDLs. In March, the SBA began allowing states to apply for the EIDL. The loan program helps qualified businesses and non-profit organizations recover from economic losses tied to the abrupt economic downturn triggered by the COVID-19 disease and efforts to stop its spread. The program offers up to $2 million in assistance for an eligible small business, and advance grants of up to $10,000 are available. However, there are reports of “severe oversubscription” to the EIDL program and of the $10,000 advance grant being insufficient to meet the needs of businesses trying to survive in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the lawmakers wrote. Read more.
Crime isn’t taking a coronavirus holiday, but law enforcement statistics show it headed in a positive direction as more people shelter from the pandemic. In fact, streets in the Birmingham area and around the world are not only safer from crime so far in 2020, but also from automobile accidents. Evidence indicates, however, that domestic disturbance calls in some communities are increasing as people spend more hours together at home. Read more.
Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday said Alabama's social distancing measures appear to be slowing the spread of the coronavirus, but it is too soon say when shuttered businesses could reopen. Ivey expects to have recommendations by Friday from a small-business task force chaired by Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth about how and when to allow different types of companies to resume operations. "And, as everybody knows, this is not a simple process like flipping on a light switch," Ivey said. Read more.
