Editor's Note: An earlier version of this editorial stated that there were currently over 500,000 cases and almost 50,000 hospitalizations in Alabama. This number reflects total cases and hospitalizations in the state since the pandemic began, and the statistic has since been updated. We apologize to our readers for this inaccuracy.
According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, 1,174, 488 Alabamians have been administrated both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, as of April 4. More and more people are getting vaccinated everyday, and we’ve made a lot of progress since Ivey first announced the mask mandate would be ending April 9.
But, we still lag behind every other state in our rollout, according to Al.com. The ADPH also reported that there have been over 5,000 cases in Alabama in the past 14 days.
Like we’ve said before, we want this pandemic to be over. As an organization of students, there is nothing we want more than a return to regular campus life. We want to be able to walk on campus and breathe in the sweat of our fellow classmates and the wonderful scents of the food trucks without the hindrances of our masks. We want them off, too. But we’re inching to the finish line, and we’re as close as we’ve ever been.
For some however, even the mask mandate hasn't yet expired, the masks have already come off. Please reconsider that decision.
The mask mandate is set to expire Friday, April 9, but there should be just as many masks on that day as there were the day before.
The ADPH is urging people to continue to wear their masks after the mandate expires, alongside federal health officials that have asked governors to keep the orders in place. The end of the pandemic is hopefully near, but in the meantime, we should be still using what has been most successful in combating the spread so far.
Please wear your masks. We’re not out of this yet.
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