THIS DAY IN HISTORY COVID-19 shuts down the world

BY MOLLIE S. WATERS

The Greenville Standard

 

Although the actual date of COVID-19 shutdowns vary by location, most Alabamians will acknowledge mid-March 2020 as when the shutdowns began in this area.

According to The Office of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey website at governor.alabama.gov, on Mar. 6, 2020, Governor Ivey formally established the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Task Force.

Then, on March 17, she issued a press release expressing her confidence in Alabama’s financial institutions precautionary measures in regards to COVID-19.

Several other press releases, a few connected to ways small businesses could find assistance during the pandemic, were released in the weeks that followed, but on April 4, she issued the Stay at Home Order.

Since its issuance, the order has been altered to Safer at Home, but it continues to be in effect even now.

In fact, Governor Ivey just confirmed the extenuation of Safer at Home on Mar. 4.

Now, a year later, COVID-19 is still here, and it is still causing problems.

One of the biggest problems for the State of Alabama has been in a loss of tourism dollars, but that problem pales in comparison to the greatest problem of all: Alabama’s K-12 students who selected to go virtual have not been showing up.

State Superintendent Eric Mackey said in November 2020 that at least 5,000 K-12 students in Alabama’s schools have not shown up for any type of class.

What this loss will mean in the future will only be known in time.

Yet, hope is on the horizon regarding COVID-19.

Currently, three different vaccines are on the market, and many people in Butler County have already started the vaccination process.

One can only hope this pandemic will be over by this time next year, so that next year’s “This Day in History” article will not be an update on the ongoing situation.