Gov. Ivey outlines first phase of reopening Alabama's economy

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday said Alabama on Thursday at 5 p.m. will enter the first phase of a multi-phase reopening of businesses.

All retail stores will be allowed to reopen their doors as long as they allow only up to 50% of normal occupancy levels and require customers to stay at least 6 feet apart, the governor said.

However, entertainment venues, athletic facilities and close-contact service providers such as barbershops, hair salons and nail salons, cannot yet reopen due to the nature of their business, Ivey said. Also, restaurants will not yet be allowed to reopen dining rooms but may continue offering curbside and delivery service.

State officials will continue to evaluate the best time and way to reopen those types of businesses, Ivey said.

All non-work-related gatherings of 10 or more people or non-work-related gatherings where people are not spread at least 6 feet apart are still prohibited. This includes church services.

Alabama’s beaches will be allowed to reopen as long as people from different households are spread at least 6 feet apart.

Schools and day care facilities will remain closed, unless providing care for children of essential personnel such as first responders, health care providers and government officials. Elective medical and dental procedures can resume.

However, people — especially vulnerable people — still are being encouraged to limit travel outside their homes, especially if they are sick, and to wear face coverings when they do interact with people from other households.

COVID-19 THREAT STILL EXISTS

The governor said the reopening of Alabama businesses would not be possible had it not been for the sacrifices made by Alabamians as they followed the state’s stay-at-home order over the past six weeks.

“What our citizens have done is working,” Ivey said. “I appreciate that so many people have been willing to do the right things to keep themselves healthy as well as to protect others. … The people of Alabama are doing the right things to ensure that we can get back to our routines just as soon as possible.”

However, just because some restrictions are being lifted does not mean that the threat of COVID-19 has passed, Ivey said.

“We are still seeing the virus spread, and all of our people are susceptible to the infection,” she said. “The greatest disservice for the people that might be watching me here today is to think that by lifting the comprehensive health restrictions that this must be a sign that there’s no longer a threat of COVID-19. Folks, we must continue to be vigilant in our social distancing both for today and for the foreseeable future.”

The governor encouraged people and businesses to practice teleworking and to be as innovative as they can as they open their workplaces. “Ensure you are taking every precaution while getting back to work,” she said.

She encouraged people to continue washing their hands frequently with soap and hand sanitizer, refrain from touching their faces and to disinfect frequently used surfaces as much as possible.

Ivey said she was reluctant to issue a stay-at-home order in the first place because “if the government kills a business, Washington can’t print enough money to bring it back to life.”

However, she opted to issue the order because she felt it was necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate the expected surge of patients in hospitals.

That strategy appears to have worked because, thankfully, the state’s hospitals have been able to handle the caseload and did not experience a shortage of hospital beds or ventilators, state health officer Dr. Scott Harris said.

Ivey said she believes all businesses are essential and regrets any suggestions to the contrary.

“No matter the size, if you are conducting commerce and providing a paycheck, you have tremendous value to our state,” she said.

Her stay-at-home order was not intended to pick winners and losers in the business community but to try to ensure that people had access to critical items and services while at the same time protecting the public’s health and safety, she said.

Now, it’s time to focus on the state’s economic health with a thoughtful, methodical process, she said.

Harris said Alabama has seen about 6,600 cases of COVID-19 and 242 deaths attributed to the disease to date. However, there have been improvements in the situation.

The number of new cases being identified has flattened out to a couple of hundred new cases per day and the number of deaths has flattened out as well, Harris said.

Alabama has met two of the three criteria identified by the White House as important benchmarks to meet for the first phase of reopening businesses, Harris said. Those are the ability of hospitals to manage caseloads and the downward trajectory of influenza-like illnesses over a 14-day period.

Alabama has not had 14 days of a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests in a 14-day period, and that is why the state is not ready to fully enter a first phase of reopening consistent with the White House plan, Harris said.

A gradual reopening of the economy is merited, but people need to keep being careful with interactions with others, he said. He especially encouraged people to be protective of senior citizens (who represent three-quarters of the COVID-19 deaths),  African-Americans (who represent half the COVID-19 deaths) and people with chronic health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease and lung disease.

REOPENING HOUSES OF WORSHIP

Ivey noted that about 50 percent of the population in Alabama attend religious worship services and said faith is clearly a part of the fabric of life in Alabama. “Getting back to worship services is essential as maintain our spiritual and mental health,” she said. But it must be done with much concern, she said.

The Rev. Jay Wolf, the longtime pastor of Montgomery First Baptist Church, has served as an advisor to the governor concerning worship services and has been talking with faith leaders from across the state. Wolf said the consensus of those leaders is that reopening houses of worship must be done in a gradual fashion.

“We simply want to honor the Lord, help and protect God’s people and do what is right and responsible,” Wolf said.

They want to reopen houses of worship in a way that will not inadvertently facilitate another outbreak of this new coronavirus, he said. They recommend following the guidelines set in place by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for reopening houses of worship, and Alabama does not yet meet the criteria for doing so, Wolf said. Large, in-person corporate gatherings and small group gatherings are not currently advisable.

However, churches are encouraged to connect with people by having online services and drive-up worship services where people stay in their vehicles, and to use creative means to minister to people’s needs, Wolf said.

“But it is not yet safe and wise to gather in person,” he said. “To reopen at this juncture could facilitate outbreaks of infection that could tragically harm our neighbors and set Alabama’s progress back.”

The governor was asked what officials would do to businesses that defy state orders regarding continued business closures. She said such businesses would be subject to fines and she would encourage them to rethink their strategy.

See the full "safer-at-home order" issued by the governor on Thursday, April 28, 2020.