Coronavirus

Ivey Issues New ‘Safer at Home’ Order, Businesses, Stores, Beaches to Open

MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday announced her new “safer at home” order, which will allow a gradual reopening of parts of the state’s economy and will replace the current stay-at-home order that is set to expire at 5 p.m. Thursday. This new order still encourages individuals to stay at home and social distance themselves from others whenever possible, but it allows retail stores to open as long as they remain at or below 50% their maximum occupancy rate and allow for social distancing. It also allows businesses to remain open provided they can ensure social distancing among workers Elective medical procedures will now be allowed to resume, Ivey and State Public Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said. The state's beaches will also reopen, but gatherings of 10 people or more are still prohibited, and people still must stay 6 feet away from each other. Ivey emphasized that this is just the first phase of a multi-phase process for reopening the state and urged Alabamians to keep taking the threat of COVID-19 seriously. “We’re still seeing the virus spread and all of our people are susceptible to the infection,” Ivey said. “We must continue to be vigilant in our social distancing both today and for the foreseeable future.” Entertainment venues and athletic facilities will still remain closed as well as close-contact services such as barber shops, hair salons, nail salons and tattoo shops. Bars still will be closed and restaurants still will be limited to delivery or curbside service. Harris said that the relatively flat rate of new cases seen in recent days has been an encouraging factor in deciding to go forward with this first phase of reopening. Newly diagnosed cases in Alabama are now around 200 per day. There has also been no shortage of ventilators, and ICU bed capacity and overall hospital capacity has not been strained, Harris said. "It's definitely reasonable to begin a reopening like this," Harris said. "We do have adequate ICU beds and the ability to care for people within the four walls of the hospital and have not needed the alternative care sites that we had prepared for. So all these things are very encouraging to us." Read more. View a chart of what the new order covers.

Gov. Ivey Eases COVID-19-Related Restrictions on Businesses, Stores and Beaches

If you’re ready to go to the beaches in Alabama, you’ll get your chance Thursday night, and you can even do some shopping. But you’ll still be getting your restaurant meals through take-out or from a delivery driver. In general, residents of Alabama are still encouraged to stay at home but not required to, under the new “Safer at Home” order issued by Gov. Kay Ivey during a press conference Tuesday morning at the State Capitol. The new order is in effect through May 15. It replaces the “Safe at Home” order that expires Thursday at 5 p.m. Read more.

Small Business Loans Site Crashes Amid Flood of New PPP Applications

Alabama bankers couldn’t access the federal Paycheck Protection Program application site on Monday so that small businesses hurt by the coronavirus could apply for the loans. Alabama Bankers Association President Scott Latham said the U.S. Small Business Administration promised that its systems would be prepared for action on Monday, but they were not. “Despite the agency’s efforts to be ready, it has failed,” Latham said in a press release. Read more.

Birmingham Requires Face Masks in Public Starting Friday

Birmingham residents will be legally required to wear face masks in public starting May 1. The Birmingham City Council passed that legislation, sponsored by Mayor Randall Woodfin, on Tuesday; it’s the latest in a series of orders designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Read more.

UAB, Southern Research Will Be Part of Search for Drugs to Combat COVID-19

The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Southern Research of Birmingham will be part of an international program that will try to identify existing drugs that may be effective in treating people exposed to COVID-19. The effort, coordinated by Scripps Research of La Jolla, California, involves ReFRAME, a large collection of drugs developed for other diseases and known to be safe for humans, UAB said today. Read more.

Alabama National Guard Team Disinfects State Veterans Home

An Alabama National Guard team was disinfecting at the Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home this morning as part of a mission to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus at nursing homes around the state.  The team, part of a special Guard task force, arrived in a white bus at the Pell City-based facility, one of four state veterans homes in Alabama. The Howard facility has 246 residents and 346 employees. Read more.

Alabama Hits 6,539 Cases of COVID-19, 228 Deaths

The number of COVID-19 cases in Alabama had risen to 6,539 late Monday night and deaths to 228. Overall, 888 people have been hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis since the first case was reported March 13, according to Alabama Department of Public Health data. Read more.

Should Gov. Ivey Loosen COVID-19 Restrictions? Not Yet, Retired UAB Public Health Professor Says

If Dr. Frank Franklin had the opportunity to tell Gov. Kay Ivey what she should do about loosening restrictions on businesses and other public places, his advice would be simple: Don’t, at least not quite yet. The retired epidemiologist and pediatrician, now a professor emeritus of public health at UAB, is not convinced that the spread of the COVID-19 virus is under control in Alabama or neighboring states — three of which are already relaxing restrictions on reopening businesses and public spaces — and doesn’t want to see the progress made so far reversed. Instead, Franklin is hoping that Ivey will announce on Tuesday that the state will stay the course for now but revisit the situation on a weekly basis, keeping transparency in the process at the forefront. Read more.

To Open for Business or Stay Closed by Coronavirus: Alabama Weighs the Options

UPDATED — As Gov. Kay Ivey eases her COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, stores, beaches and medical procedures, the question that remains for some is - is it time to reopen Alabama? Ivey, who announced a “Safer At Home” strategy that will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday, has had advice from those who are primarily concerned about health outcomes of the coronavirus and those who consider economics – the loss of jobs, the shuttering of businesses – just as important, if not more. Although the team has reached the decision to begin reopening – while leaving some businesses, including restaurants and athletic facilities – not all in the state agree that it's time to reopen. Read more.

Should Gov. Ivey Loosen COVID-19 Restrictions? Not Yet, Retired UAB Public Health Professor Says

UAB to Start COVID-19 Testing With Mobile Units in Bush Hills, Center Point

LOCATION UPDATED — UAB will provide testing for COVID-19 in two community locations this week, offering the tests for people who cannot or don’t want to go to its downtown testing site, officials said today. A mobile testing unit will go to Rock City at Central Park in the western area of Birmingham on Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. and to Cathedral of the Cross in Center Point on Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. They will see people who have made appointments by calling 205-975-CV19 (2819). Participants must drive up to the mobile facility this week, but walk-up appointments are expected to start as early as next week. Read more.