Gov. Kay Ivey extended the statewide health order until Dec. 11 during a press conference on Thursday morning. Restrictions on occupancy rates for businesses have been reduced, just in time for the holiday season, Ivey said.
Close-contact service providers such as nail salons and barber shops will have increased occupancy. Restaurants can have increased occupancy with installed Plexiglas partitions.
Many states are using physical barriers to increase capacity in restaurants, said State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. Though he said it may not be 100% effective, Harris believes it will help reduce the spread of droplets.
Restrictions have not changed for spectator sports, Harris said.
Over 3,000 Alabamians have died of COVID so far, Ivey said, noting that no one is immune from the virus.
“Sooner or later, it is up to each of us to do the right thing, whether the government is mandating it or not,” Ivey said.
Ivey said that the cold and flu season will coincide with COVID to make for a potentially deadly season.
“We are listening to you and are trying to understand your concerns,” Ivey said.
Harris said that Alabama has seen 200,000 different people test positive so far, with 22,000 of them occurring in the past two weeks. Four percent of Alabama’s population have tested positive since March.
“We have lost 3,000 of our friends, families and loved ones to this disease,” Harris said.
Alabama saw a plateau of cases from August to October, but cases are increasing, Harris said. The positive test rate is almost to 10%.
“This disease has disrupted our lives and livelihoods,” Ivey said.
Work continues for a vaccine, Harris said. A vaccine will be shipped directly to Alabama, waiting for the Food and Drug Administration to approve its use.
“The sooner the vaccine gets here, the better we’ll all be for it,” Ivey said. “Asking for the mask mandate is a minimal ask for our businesses to stay open.”
Ivey believes cases are rising in Alabama because residents are tired of wearing masks.
Harris encouraged Alabamians to celebrate the holidays in a safe way. He acknowledged that online celebrations may be less enjoyable, but it is a safer practice. Those who feel sick should stay home.
Before her update on the statewide health order, Ivey spoke to the record turnout for voting on Tuesday. Americans need to work together across party lines to continue to make progress, she said.
“Leading up to Nov. 3, Americans turned out [to vote] in record numbers,” Ivey said. “This has been one heck of a year, but it is important … for Americans to make their voices heard.”
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Charlie Ramo, junior in aerospace engineering, is the content editor of The Auburn Plainsman.
