Alabama eases virus restrictions as storms sweep the South

0
38
FILE- In this April 29, 2014 file image taken from video, people enter a community storm shelter during a tornado watch in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves, File)

Kay Ivey issued an emergency order Sunday temporarily suspending state restrictions imposed because of the new coronavirus if those restrictions could interfere with people’s safety while strong storms were blowing through the South.

“On this Easter Sunday, Alabama faces the potential for inclement weather, and we want all Alabama families to be prepared for whatever comes our way,” Republican Ivey said in a statement.

She said shelters and community safe rooms should remain open and maintain “reasonable practices and procedures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

“My fellow Alabamians, stay vigilant, and stay safe,” Ivey said.

Alabama has at least 3,579 confirmed coronavirus cases, the state health department said Sunday. There have been 93 reported deaths in COVID-19 patients, and state health officials have so far confirmed 61 of those.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms or be fatal.

Like other states, Alabama has seen a rapid increase in unemployment as businesses have closed or drastically reduced their operations. The Alabama tourism director, Lee Sentell, said in a news release that one-third of the hotel and food employees have lost jobs in two weeks. The Alabama Department of Labor said more than 30,000 hospitality industry workers have recently filed for unemployment.

Sentell said that in 2019, about 75,000 people worked in Alabama’s food service industry and about 30,000 worked for hotels.

Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.