Virginia Martin

COVID-19 Cases Rise to 766, 4 Deaths Confirmed

Four deaths from of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Alabama, the Alabama Public Health Department reported Saturday as the number of confirmed cases of the disease rose to 766. Three of the deaths were in the Tennessee Valley in north Alabama — one each in Jackson, Lauderdale and Madison counties. The fourth death was in Chambers County. The Birmingham area continued to be the hot spot, with 214 cases in Jefferson County and 73 in Shelby County, according to the Health Department. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

A Journalist’s View: As Virus Swirls, President Trump is Too Dangerous for Live TV

Bringing change to ingrained practices of the news media is slow and difficult, especially if it’s the fundamental premise that journalists should report all the news and let the audience do with it as they wish. But occasionally, when evidence of significant public harm begins to pile up, change can happen. — Example: National TV networks eventually came to agree that on presidential election nights, immediate, sample-based declarations of state winners before polls closed could affect subsequent voter turnout. Now, they wait. — Example: A growing number of editors have concluded that repeated and high-profile attention to the names and viewpoints of mass shooters may contribute to the motives of copycats. Now, more organizations practice restraint. It’s time for another change. TV networks should no longer show live broadcasts of presidential press conferences about the coronavirus. I am not alone in concluding this. No kind of misinformation from any government official is acceptable. But the news media can blunt some of it with aggressive follow-up questions, prominent fact checking and pointed criticism by designated commentators. With the coronavirus, though, the danger of distortion and inaccuracy is so great that normal journalistic counterbalances are not fast enough or effective enough. President Donald Trump puts some people’s health and even lives at risk when he downplays the spread of the disease, offers premature hope for drugs whose effectiveness and side effects are unproved, and overstates the availability of tests. Read more.

by Tom Arenblog

Three Deaths, 639 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Alabama

Three people have died of COVID-19 in Alabama, the Alabama Public Health Department reported today as the number of confirmed cases of the disease rose to 639 in 53 of the state’s 67 counties. All three of the deaths were in the Tennessee Valley in north Alabama — one each in Jackson, Lauderdale and Madison counties. The Birmingham area continued to be the hot spot, with 179 cases in Jefferson County and 70 in Shelby County, according to the Health Department. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama House Members Voted for $2.2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill, Even Though They Didn’t Like All of It

Voterama in Congress WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives approved a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill during the legislative week ending March 27. Congress debated no other substantive measures during the week. Alabama’s House of Representatives members supported the bill, although not always happily.

by Voterama in Congress

Coronavirus Disrupts Charities’ Efforts

Charitable work has joined a long list of activities in the Birmingham area that have been disrupted in the coronavirus crisis. A survey of local nonprofit organizations found 83% of those reporting said they were not able to provide services to the same extent as customary. Read more.

by Carol Nunnelley

As Crisis Calls Increase, Domestic Violence Shelters Have COVID-19 Plans

MONTGOMERY — Domestic abuse crisis calls are increasing in Alabama and some police departments report slight decreases in other criminal activity as people are told to stay at home to slow down the spread of COVID-19. The YWCA Central Alabama shelter in Birmingham said it has received roughly double the number of calls to its crisis hotline on the weekend of March 20-21 compared to the average weekend. Domestic abuse shelters around the state haven’t seen a dramatic increase in the number of people seeking shelter but expect they will as people in already abusive relationships are isolated in their homes longer. “I don't think that that's a secret for anybody,” said Tay Knight, the executive director of the Family Sunshine Center in Montgomery. “When you put people in these situations, where they are isolated, where there are other stressors like maybe loss of employment or reduction in employment and things get tight from a financial perspective, that it is likely to just make the situation worse,” Knight said. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

No Party, No Disco, No Fooling Around. State Closes All but Essential Businesses and Services.

Gov. Kay Ivey today announced intensified efforts to control the coronavirus outbreak in Alabama, with the state health officer prohibiting all non-work gatherings of 10 or more or of any size where people can’t stay 6 feet apart. The new order goes into effect starting at 5 p.m. Saturday and is expected to remain in effect until 5 p.m. April 17. The new order is from the state health officer and follows the lead of other authorities that have mandated a wide range of businesses and activities deemed non-essential most close or not operate. In announcing the order today, Ivey said: “Rather than shutting the entire state down, I propose a different solution. Today, I join Dr. (Scott) Harris in announcing a specific list of non-essential businesses that will close until April 17. If you can stay home, you are safer at home.” Read more.

by Nick Patterson

BAO Finds Workarounds to Continue Services Despite COVID-19 Threat

Birmingham Aids Outreach hasn’t let up on the services it provides to HIV-positive clients and members of the LGBTQ community. But the demands of social distancing have demanded the group re-create how it’s doing some usually ordinary things, said Karen Musgrove, CEO of BAO. See how the group is working around the difficulties.

by Tom Gordon

Public Schools Closed for the Year; State Will Offer Alternative Learning Opportunities

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Thursday afternoon that public school students will not return to the classrooms this school year. Beginning April 6, the state will offer alternative learning methods of instruction. The state education superintendent is to complete that plan of instruction, Ivey said during a press conference. “Local school districts will make staffing decisions and determinations related to access to school buildings” based on state health directives, Ivey said. “We want to prevent a slide in students’ learning and achievement, and we are doing the best we can,” she said. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Speaker: No Date Certain for Resuming Session; Senate Talks April 28

UPDATED: MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature is on hold for now, and it’s unclear when legislators will return to Montgomery. The regular session ends May 18, and House Speaker Mac McCutcheon said he’s not sure whether the House could reconvene before that, making a special session likely. On the Senate side, leaders are talking about returning to the State House on April 28. Budgets and other important legislation had not been passed when legislators left Montgomery to combat the spread of COVID-19. Read more.

by Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News