MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday said the state was ordering the closure of certain businesses, such as some retail stores, gyms and entertainment venues, as the state confronts the new coronavirus.
“I cannot stress to you enough the fact that we must be serious about eliminating the spread of this deadly virus. Folks this is real. It is very real,” Ivey said.
The list of businesses directed to shut down beginning Saturday at 5 p.m. fall into four categories: entertainment venues; athletic facilities and activities; non-essential “close-contact” service establishments and non-essential retail stores. The list of places ordered closed includes gyms, barber shops, theaters, casinos, book stores, department stores, clothing stores and nail salons. It does not include such businesses as manufacturing facilities, grocery stores and restaurants that offer take-out. Day care centers can stay open if they don’t have more than 12 children in one room. The Alabama Department of Public Health put a document on its website to try to answer questions about the order.
The new state order also prohibits gatherings of 10 people or more that are not work-related where people can’t stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart. The previous limit had been 25.
The move is the state’s most aggressive action to date to try to curb the spread, but falls short of a “stay at home” directive that some states have ordered. The governor cited economic concerns for families and businesses in allowing more places to stay open.
“If we kill businesses, we can’t print enough money in Washington D.C. to bring a dead business back to life,” Ivey said.
Alabama’s official death toll from the pandemic has risen to three. Health officials are investigating as many as eight other deaths that could be related to the virus.
On Friday afternoon, at least 638 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the state through limited testing. Wide swaths of west and south Alabama, mostly rural areas, are not reporting any cases.
State Health Officer Scott Harris said at least 10% of the known patients have hospitalized. He said half of the hospitalized patients are in intensive care and a third are on mechanical ventilation.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham said Friday that it has at least 55 hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika said Friday that it has 20 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and another 21 hospitalized who are suspected to have the illness. The hospital put out a “plea to churches” to not gather until the region is safe for group activities. The hospital wrote in a Facebook post that a “sizeable number” of patients had attended church as their last public outing before becoming ill.
Ivey has already shut down schools for the rest of the academic year saying students would finish the year by taking lessons at home.
All restaurants already have been ordered to end on-site dining. All beaches are closed.
Tuscaloosa and Birmingham have ordered people to stay at home unless going out for food, medicine or work at essential businesses.
“Our science is clear. Our data is clear, and it’s clear to me that we must act,” Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt said Thursday night. Maddox said he feared the local hospital would be overwhelmed with cases without the action.
The city of Montgomery on Friday announced a nighttime curfew from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
The governor, while not ordering people to say at home, urged them to stay put if they can.
“I just plead with you, take individual responsibility for yourself and your family and if you can stay at home, please do so,” Ivey said.
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