Alabama’s stay-at-home order is going to remain in effect until April 30, Gov. Kay Ivey announced in a press conference on Tuesday.
Ivey, State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris and other members of the newly formed Coronavirus Task Force held the press conference on Facebook Live at 11 a.m.
Ivey said she is looking this week to “shift the focus” of the physical health of Alabamians to include the economic health of the state of Alabama, including small businesses around the state.
“We have Alabamians and Alabama businesses hurting now,” Ivey said. “We certainly know who you are, and we want to help you get back on your feet as soon as possible.”
In order to open more businesses, Ivey said the state needs more resources to get more testing done.
“I’m as eager as anybody to get our economy back open spinning on all cylinders again but, again, we have to be careful and cautious in what we’re doing, and do it in a smart, productive way,” Ivey said. “Before we can fully open and get fully operational, we have to get more testing.”
Harris said cases are dropping through the state. For the most part, there are around 160–170 new cases per day around the state now, lower than the over 200 new cases a day that were typical in weeks past, Harris said.
Harris said numbers are improving thanks in large part to the implementation of social distancing guidelines.
Fitzgerald Washington, secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor since 2014, said $264 million has been paid to Alabamians out of work and otherwise impacted by COVID-19.
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Evan Mealins, senior in philosophy and economics, is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.
