By Joshua Huff, sports editor
MONTGOMERY — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has further amended her statewide safer-at-home order to include the reopening of several entertainment venues, educational institutions, childcare facilities and summer camps.
Despite Ivey admitting that the numbers of COVID-19 throughout the state are not as good as she had hoped since she ended her stay-at-home order on April 30, she announced that it is time for Alabama to take further steps to reopening.
“Standing by and letting our businesses collapse while we’ve got hundreds of thousands of folks hurting and suffering is not an option,” Ivey said. “We’ve got to keep our businesses open and people working.”
The next phase in reopening, which goes into effect on Friday, May 22, 2020, at 5 p.m. and ends on July 3, 2020, passes the responsibility of safety and the sustainability of the state’s health onto the citizens. The state will continue to issues guidelines but will no longer order people to follow those guidelines. The onus, State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said, falls on citizens to do the right thing to halt the spread of the virus.
“People need to take social distancing seriously,” Harris said. “… As the economy reopens it becomes more important then ever. We don’t yet have a cure or a treatment, but the best thing that we have is to watch our own behavior.”
The following changes will go into effect on May 22, 2020:
- Entertainment venues (such as arcades, theaters and bowling alleys) are allowed to reopen.
- Athletic activities can restart practice on May 23 and competition can resume June 15.
- Education institutions will be able to reopen on June 1.
- Childcare facilities can reopen without occupancy limitations.
- Summer camps can reopen.