coronavirus

ACHE Leader: Remote Learning for Universities’ Summer Semester Possible; Community Colleges Will Finish Semester Online

Read more. The executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education said Alabama’s universities may continue off-campus classes this summer because of ongoing COVID-19 concerns. In a letter to university presidents this week, Jim Purcell said institutions need to communicate with students and their families about what summer courses, which begin in mid-May, may look like. “As April approaches, you are no doubt considering how to conduct campus operations over the course of the summer,” Purcell wrote. “We all know that there are many factors in play in making this decision and not all of these are academic. Health of our communities, students, faculty and students must be paramount. “While many unknowns remain, it is important that institutions provide clarity for students, families and the public so that they can plan to continue or begin their studies over the summer. I would support maintaining the online/remote instructional environment through the summer 2020 terms.”

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Veteran Events and Rituals Canceled

The list of events canceled by the COVID-19 threat continues to grow, and it now includes all ceremonies at national cemeteries for the next month to two months. Read more.

by Tom Gordon

Ordered to Stay at Home or Free to Wander? It Depends on Where you Live.

While a few municipalities — Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, in particular — have felt the need to institute stay-at-home orders with the force of law to slow the rate of coronavirus infections, most cities have taken a less restrictive approach. Some are suggesting that residents stay home. Others are saying only that they’re following the lead of the state and Jefferson County authorities. All of Alabama fell under an order closing non-essential businesses as of 5 p.m. Saturday. The Jefferson County Department of Health was the first entity to start strongly recommending people curtail their activities and almost two weeks ago issued an order closing all non-essential businesses and services, an order that was lifted when the statewide order took effect. But whether you’re required to abide by more restrictive measures depends on where you live. Read more.

by Nick Patterson

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

Three Deaths, 604 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 604 in 52 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 67 in Shelby County, according to the Health Department. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

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