Government

COVID-19 Cases in Alabama Pass the 1,000 Mark, 17 Deaths Reported

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alabama climbed today to 1,013, the state Public Health Department said. The agency said it has confirmed 17 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic and is investigating the cause of death of another nine people who had tested positive for COVID-19. The spread of the disease in Alabama has been dramatic over the past week. The Public Health Department reported the state’s first death from COVID-19 one week ago today – March 25 – and said it had confirmed 386 cases statewide at the time. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

SNAP Recipients Get Additional Benefits

Some Alabamians enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called SNAP and formerly referred to as food stamps, got additional funds April 1 as part of a federal response to the COVID-19 crisis. “Current SNAP recipients will receive a supplement in their accounts that will take their March benefits to the monthly maximum for family size regardless of income,” Barry Spear, a spokesman for the Alabama Department of Human Resources, told Alabama Daily News. “Families already receiving the monthly maximum benefit will not receive the supplement.” Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Amid Prayers and Protective Gear, Legislature Postpones Session

MONTGOMERY — State lawmakers walked one by one into their respective chambers, each keeping a strict distance from one another and many wearing protective masks and gloves as the House and Senate met at the State House Tuesday. The Legislature was forced to convene Tuesday to formally adopt a joint rule allowing for the postponement of a legislative session during a state of emergency. Fifty-eight of 105 House members were in attendance, each asked to sit with a seat between them in chairs specially marked by neon green sticky notes. Twenty-two of 35 senators were present in the much more spacious upper chamber, enough to conduct the limited business of the day: deciding when to reconvene the 2020 regular session amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Both the House and Senate agreed to meet again on April 28, hoping the worst of the outbreak will be over by then. Read more.

by Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News

Gov. Ivey Awards $9.5 Million in Broadband Expansion Grants

MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey awarded 20 broadband expansion grants totaling more than $9.5 million to provide high-speed internet access to communities across Alabama. The grants are part of the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund and awarded to nine broadband providers to help fund multiple projects in their coverage areas. Ivey said that high-speed Internet is always important to have but especially now as cases of COVID-19 have increased in the state and more people are asked to work and learn at home. Public schools are now closed and students are finishing the academic year in their houses. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Thirteen Confirmed Deaths in Alabama from COVID-19, Nine Others Suspected

The number of deaths in Alabama from COVID-19 continued to rise today, with the state Public Department confirming 13 people have died from the disease and nine others  are suspected of being victims. That is more than double the six deaths reported at the end of the day Monday. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Jefferson County Commission Sets Up $1 Million Virus Fund, Extends County Closings Through April

The Jefferson County Commission used its second emergency meeting of the COVID-19 pandemic to extend the closure of county facilities until April 30 and set up a $1 million COVID-19 fund to handle needs as they arise. The first $80,750 of that $1 million was used to purchase 55 hospital beds from Jett Medical Company in the event a “surge hospital” must be established. Such a facility will be set up if local hospitals become overcrowded. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Making Sense of Alabama’s Coronavirus Numbers

If you’re following the coronavirus pandemic, you’re probably seeing a lot of numbers: confirmed cases, number of tests, deaths. The Alabama Department of Public Health has a map to keep track of it all. But if you’re tracking the coronavirus numbers carefully, you might notice they don’t always move the way you’d expect them to. For instance, the number of confirmed cases goes up while the number of tests don’t. Deaths are reported in the media, but they don’t show up in the state’s total. It’s all a product of how the state’s numbers are gathered and the time it takes to ensure they’re correct. Read more.

by Andrew Yeager, WBHM

Alabama COVID-19 Death Toll Rises to 13, Five More Being Checked

Alabama's death toll from COVID-19 rose this morning from six to 13, and the state Public Health Department reported it was looking into five more deaths of people who had been diagnosed with the disease. The department said there have been three deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Chambers County and two deaths each in Lee and Shelby counties. These counties reported one death each: Jackson, Lauderdale, Madison, Mobile, Montgomery and Tallapoosa. Officials did not say where the other five deaths occurred. The department verifies the cause of death before adding a case to its official lisst. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s COVID-19 Death Toll Rises to 13

The Alabama Public Health Department raised the state's death toll from COVID-19 this morning from six to 13 and reported a total of 949 confirmed cases of the disease in the state. The department said there have been three deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Chambers County and two deaths each in Lee and Shelby counties. These counties reported one death each: Jackson, Lauderdale, Madison, Mobile, Montgomery and Tallapoosa. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Lawyers: Set Parole Hearings, Prevent Virus Spread in Alabama’s Crowded Prisons

A group of law school faculty members and former prosecutors has written Gov. Kay Ivey urging her to have the state Board of Pardons and Paroles hold expedited hearings to reduce the risk of COVID-19 to Alabama’s prison population. “The Board should prioritize the release, if necessary into 14-day quarantine, of prisoners age 50 and over and those with compromised immune systems,” the letter stated. “Alabama should recognize the parole system as one avenue through which to ameliorate the public-health threat posed by our overcrowded prisons.” Read more.

by Tom Gordon