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Ivey recommends ‘safer-at-home’ regulations

BY MOLLIE S. WATERS

The Greenville Standard

 

During her press conference on Apr. 28, 2020, Alabama’s Governor Kay Ivey announced she would be lifting some the stricter aspects of the COVID-19 quarantine regulations that have been in place since mid-March.

“What our citizens have done is working,” said Ivey. “And I appreciate that so many people have been willing to do the right things to keep themselves healthy as well as to protect others to be well and healthy, too.”

Ivey said the people of Alabama have been doing the hard things for the state to be able to get back to normal as quickly as possible.

“Today, we are taking another step in that direction,” said Ivey of returning to routines. “While we have not seen a decrease in the amount of newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients, we have seen stabilization, a leveling off if you will, in the amount of cases. Like everyone else, I look forward to easing back into our routines with caution.”

Ivey then announced that she was issuing a “safer-at-home” order, which still requires social distancing and precautions for health safety.

So what are the major differences between the old orders and the new ones?

With “safer-at-home,” people are encouraged to stay home and follow good social distancing practices whereas previously, it was suggested people only leave home for basic needs.

Now, businesses may open providing they follow sanitation and social distancing guidelines.

Retailers may reopen at 50% occupancy and following the same guidelines for social distancing.

Beaches have reopened, but no groups of more than 10.

Elective medical procedures are allowed again.

Everything else is still the same.

These new guidelines are now in place, even though the number of COVID-19 cases is steadily increasing.

As of Monday, May 4, at 4:55 p.m. the number of confirmed cases in Butler County had risen to 111. There is still only one confirmed fatality.

Yet, while Governor Ivey acknowledged the total cases are going up, she and her COVID-19 task force believe the state will not be overwhelmed by patients who will need ventilators should they get the illness, which was one of the most concerning issues when dealing with COVID-19.

For more information about the guidelines, visit https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19/index.html.

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