City Council extends face coverings ordinance until July 3

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The Birmingham City Council voted on Tuesday, June 9, to extend the city’s COVID-19 face covering ordinance until July 3.

“Health officials have been consistent in their stance that wearing a face covering in public can drastically reduce the spread of this virus,” Councilor Steven Hoyt said in a Council news release. “The goal of this ordinance is not to be punitive. It’s about raising awareness and educating the people.”

The only dissenting vote on the extension came from Councilor Hunter Williams, who serves as chair of the Council’s Public Safety Committee.

Williams has argued for several weeks that the city should rely on education rather than ordinances to encourage city residents to wear face coverings during the pandemic.

The ordinance originally passed in April.

It was also amended or extended by the Council on May 5, on May 13 and May 29.

AVONDALE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT

The Council also voted to set a public hearing for Tuesday, June 23, to discuss the designation of a portion of Avondale as one of the city’s official entertainment districts. The hearing will take place at City Hall at 9:30 a.m. during the regular Council meeting.

The Avondale commercial district along 41st Street South has boomed in popularity in recent years and is already a prime destination for bars, restaurants and entertainment. It would be the fourth officially designated entertainment district in the city.

Uptown, located at the BJCC, was approved in 2015, Pepper Place in 2018 and Five Points South in 2019. 

Inside district boundaries, patrons can carry open containers of alcohol between establishments, thereby increasing foot traffic. 

CURFEW ENDS

On Monday, June 8, Mayor Randall Woodfin announced the end of the state of emergency and curfew that he established on June 1, 2020. They ended on Monday at 11:59 p.m.

“I want to thank the people of Birmingham for uniting and working together during this challenging time,” Woodfin said in a statement.

Woodfin had declared the state of emergency and the curfew on June 1 due to the civil unrest — including fires and looting — that Birmingham saw on the night on Sunday, May 31, following a peaceful demonstration against the killing of George Floyd.

PARKS TO REOPEN

The Birmingham Park and Recreation Board announced today, June 10, that recreation centers and other facilities, closed since March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will reopen to the public at regular times on Monday, June 15. 

Twenty-one recreation centers, a fitness center, three tennis centers and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens are scheduled to open that day, according to a news release from the board.

The city’s 18 swimming pools will not reopen at that time.

In addition, some types of recreation will be limited due to a need to allow for social distancing, the wearing of face coverings and other mandated safety practices, and the facilities must be operated at 50% of capacity.

Parks and green spaces remain available for walking and physical fitness, but playgrounds are closed. 

“Although it is in a limited capacity, we are thrilled to welcome back our programs and patrons to the facilities," said Montal Morton, president of Birmingham Park and Recreation Board.