Gov. Ivey extends mask mandate

At a press conference on Aug. 27, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced that she was amending the “Safer at Home” order and extending her statewide mask mandate through Oct. 2.

The mask mandate, which was set to expire on Aug. 31, requires individuals to wear a mask or other facial covering when in public and in close contact with other people.

Ivey issued the first mask mandate back in July and extended it through the end of August. In the seven days prior to the original mask mandate, Alabama had more than 1,500 new cases per day. That number has decreased to an average of 800 per day since the order. Before the mask mandate, Coffee County was averaging more than 20 new cases per day and since the order was passed that number has dropped to eight new cases per day.

“I understand you don’t want to wear the mask; I don’t either,” Ivey said at her press conference. “My glasses fog up, I can’t understand what people are saying because of the muffle effect that the masks have on conversations.

“I wish we didn’t have to wear masks but we are seeing significant drops in our hospitalizations and daily positive COVID-19 numbers, and I have no doubt that this is a result of our mask ordinance.”

According to Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris, the total number of hospitalizations, percentage of positive tests and the statewide two-week average of new cases have consistently dropped since the mask mandate was first issued.

“We are cautiously optimistic about what we’ve been seeing,” Harris said. “Since the governor’s mask mandate went into effect, we have definitely seen improvements in our daily number of new cases, numbers of deaths are declining, number of hospitalizations have been declining and are as low as they’ve been since before the Fourth of July holiday.

“On top of that, the percentage of tests that are positive have also declined from 17 percent in mid-July down to around 8 percent now. All of that indicates that we have less transmission in the community. We believe the mask mandate is the reason for that.”

There will be no other changes to the “Safer at Home” order which requires masks to be worn in schools and colleges, where possible, for all students second grade and above. The order also requires masks to be worn in public when interacting within six feet of someone from another household. There are medical exceptions to the mandate. All retail stores will still be subject to the 50 percent occupancy rate, as well.

“At this time, it is impossible to predict how long the COVID-19 pandemic will require the existence of a state emergency,” Ivey said in her amended State of Emergency proclamation. “Nevertheless, I understand and appreciate the substantial reliance that many people, businesses and government entities have come to place on the measures adopted in the various emergency proclamations I have issued as part of the State’s COVID-19 response.

“To assist these people, businesses and government entities in planning for the future, I intend to give ample advance notice of any decision to terminate the state of emergency, whenever that date may be.”

To read the full amended “Safer at Home” order, visit https://governor.alabama.gov/assets/2020/08/Safer-at-Home-Order-Final-8.27.20.pdf.