MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced she will continue a statewide mask order that has been in place since July.
The governor made the announcement in a Thursday morning press conference.
The mask order will remain in place until April 8, 2021, then will expire. Ivey said she will not continue the order after that point.
Medical officials have urged the governor to extend the order, arguing that easing restrictions before more people are vaccinated could reverse the recent improvements.
“As of Tuesday, Alabama has seen the lowest avg for daily new COVID-19 cases & hospitalizations since June,” said Ivey. “Y’all, this is definitely an indication we’re moving in the right direction. I want to thank Alabamians for their tremendous help & support to get us where we are.”
Ivey said she and Dr. Scott Harris believe more Alabamians need to get their first vaccination shot before all restrictions are lifted.
“I’m proud to announce that by this weekend, it’s a good bet that over one million vaccines will have been administered in Alabama,” Ivey said. “That’s a significant milestone when you consider the first vaccine arrived in our state less than 3 short months ago.”
Ivey has said she prefers “personal responsibility” to government mandates and the state is headed in the right direction, yet “we still have some work to be done,” spokeswoman Gina Maiola said Monday.
The state’s death toll from COVID-19 hit 10,029 on Wednesday.
The new Safer at Home Order makes changes to areas concerning senior citizens, summer camps, restaurants as well as hospitals & nursing homes. View the graphic below.