Government

231 Hospitalized in Alabama with COVID-19, Death Toll at 31

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported Sunday that 231 people were hospitalized statewide with COVID-19 diagnoses. Deaths in the state from the disease COVID-19 stood at 31, and authorities are investigating 14 other deaths of people who had been diagnosed with the virus. In total, the state has had 1,676 confirmed cases of the virus. Jefferson County accounted for 397 cases, with four deaths from the disease and five more involving people who were diagnosed with it. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Getting Government Services During Pandemic Requires Patience, Persistence

Alabama residents who need to renew their driver’s license during the coronavirus shutdown will have to do it online. Teenagers who have waited 16 or more years to get their first license will have to wait longer. These are just two of the ways the growing pandemic is making it tougher for people to obtain government services. With state and local governments forced to weigh public health against public services, the scale sometimes tilts toward health. This is true for services ranging from automobile tag renewals to court trials to in-person access to public meetings. Read more.

by Scott Morris

Alabama’s COVID-19 Death Toll Up to 26

The Alabama Department of Public Health this morning raised the number of deaths in the state from COVID-19 to 26, up by five. Authorities are investigating 15 other deaths of people who had been diagnosed with the virus. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 climbed today to 1,543, growing by more than 50% since Wednesday morning. One week ago, the state had 604 confirmed cases and three deaths. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Ivey Orders Residents to Stay Home; Marshall Says State Will Enforce

MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday ordered Alabama residents to stay home except for essential needs, imploring citizens to take the new coronavirus seriously and distance themselves from others. “COVID-19 is an imminent threat to our way of life and you need to understand that we are past urging people to stay at home," Ivey said during a news conference at the state Capitol. "It is now the law.” The order requires Alabamians to stay in their places of residence unless traveling to obtain necessary supplies such as food or medicine or going to work if they are part of the “essential workforce.” The order goes into effect Saturday at 5 p.m. Read more.

by Caroline Beck and Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News

Gov. Ivey Issues Statewide Stay-at-Home Order

The governor today called a statewide stay-at-home order to begin Saturday at 5 p.m. and last through the end of the month. The order is similar to the emergency order already in place but is focused on people, ordering them to stay at home except for essential errands such as grocery shopping and trips to the pharmacy. Come back to BirminghamWatch for the complete story.

by BirminghamWatch

City to Birmingham Residents: Stay Home Through April 30

Birmingham’s shelter-in-place order has been extended through April 30. The extension, approved unanimously by the Birmingham City Council on Friday, is intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the city by effectively instituting a citywide curfew, with exceptions for “essential” activities such as purchasing food, seeking health care or engaging in solitary outdoor recreation. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Alabama’s COVID-19 Toll: 1,315 Confirmed Cases, 21 Deaths

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alabama climbed today to 1,315, and the state Department of Public Health reported 21 deaths from the disease. The agency is investigating 13 other deaths of people who had been diagnosed with the virus. Jefferson County leads the state with 325 confirmed cases, and officials are investigating five deaths in the county of patients who were previously diagnosed with the disease; none of those were confirmed to be the result of COVID-19. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Ivey Issues Order to Reduce Jail Crowding, Make Health Care Expansion Easier

Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday issued an executive order to help reduce a backlog of state inmates in county jails as the coronavirus outbreak continues in Alabama. “Because the conditions of the jails inherently heighten the possibility of COVID-19 transmission, I find that it would promote the safety and protection of the civilian population to allow local officials to reduce the number of local inmates being held in county jails in a way that does not jeopardize public safety,” the order said. The order also “cut red tape” to allow quick expansion of medical facilitates and speed the process for out-of-state and retired doctors to work in Alabama. Sonny Brasfield, executive director of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, said he expected the order to affect about 300 inmates. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Alabama’s COVID-19 Numbers: 1,265 Confirmed Cases, 17 Deaths

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alabama climbed today to 1,265, the state Department of Public Health reported. The agency said it has confirmed 17 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic and is investigating the cause of death of another 15 people who had tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of people diagnosed with the disease rose by 104 since Wednesay night, but the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 remained the same. Jefferson County continued to have the most cases in the state with 327. But the state's most populous county still had no confirmed deaths from the disease, though health officials were investigating the deaths of five people who had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Birmingham-hosted World Games Pushed Back Until 2022

The International World Games, scheduled for 2021 in Birmingham, will be held in 2022. The event, originally slated to occur July 15-25, 2021, will now be held July 7-17, 2022, the International World Games Association announced Thursday morning. The change is meant to avoid a clash with the Olympic Games, which was postponed to July 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The games were originally slated to take place this July in Tokyo. Read more.

by Sam Prickett