Gov. Kay Ivey issued a supplemental state of emergency Friday ordering the closure of a wide swath of Alabama businesses, including gyms, theaters, barbershops, nail salons and other close-contact services, in the state’s most aggressive move yet to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Ivey, joined by State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris, said the new health order targets businesses where customers and employees typically come into close physical contact, rather than attempting to define which businesses are “essential.” The closures, which take effect March 28 and are scheduled to remain in place through at least April 17, apply to entertainment venues, athletic and fitness facilities, close-contact personal service businesses and most retail stores.
“We’re not trying to say what is essential, we’re simply designating what is non-essential,” Ivey said. “If the business involves operators and customers being close to each other or touching one another, then it’s highly likely to transmit the virus because they just have to touch you in some of these businesses.”
Harris said the list of affected businesses includes theaters and auditoriums, gyms and yoga studios, playgrounds, barbershops, nail and tanning salons, massage businesses, furniture stores, and clothing, jewelry and department stores. The order also lowers the maximum size of non-work-related gatherings from 25 people to 10, aligning the state with guidance previously issued by the White House and federal health officials.
Despite the sweeping business closures, Ivey again stopped short of ordering Alabamians to shelter in place, a step at least 21 other states had already taken by Friday. She said such an order would carry steep economic costs for workers and business owners without necessarily doing more to slow the virus than the restrictions already in place.
“We can’t print enough money in Washington, D.C. to bring a dead business back to life, but with that said, we clearly have a set of circumstances in our state that we must rise to meet,” Ivey said. “I do not believe we need a full shelter-in-place order — not at this time and hopefully not ever — but I do believe limiting gathering as much as possible will be the best way we can combat this virus.”
The governor noted that local officials retain the authority to enact stricter measures than the state has ordered, an option already exercised in Jefferson County and the cities of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Alabama currently has only two county-level health departments with the authority to issue their own local orders: Jefferson County and Mobile County.
In Mobile County, Mayor Sandy Stimpson and County Health Officer Dr. Bert Eichold have so far declined to go beyond the state’s requirements and issue a local shelter-in-place order, even as the new statewide closures take hold across the Port City’s business community. Both officials have said they will continue to monitor the outbreak’s local trajectory before considering additional restrictions.
Ivey’s announcement came amid criticism from Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who sent a public letter earlier in the week arguing the governor’s coronavirus task force was unprepared for the surge in COVID-19 patients hospitals could face in the coming weeks. Ivey said she had invited Ainsworth to join the task force but that he declined, adding that pointing out problems without offering solutions does the state no good.
“We’re going to make our share of mistakes along the way, but we’re not going to be accused of not making difficult decisions nor are we going to be accused of offering criticism with no solutions,” Ivey said. “This pandemic is a global crisis, but it’s not something that cannot be managed, and we’ll use a measured and balanced approach to address it. Unfortunately, there’s no instruction manual on how to do this. Yes, it will be hard, but I am more confident we’ll get through this together.”
Ivey acknowledged the toll the closures will take on workers and business owners across the state. “I want people to know the struggles of losing a job and trying to find a way to pay rent or a mortgage on a home is not lost on me or my administration,” she said. “This is incredibly disappointing news to deliver, but this is a matter of life and death. So, if you can stay at home you’re safer at home, and if you choose to stay at home this doesn’t mean inviting your friends over, this means being isolated.”
The new restrictions arrive as Alabama’s unemployment system faces unprecedented strain. Federal labor statistics indicated the state saw nearly 40,000 unemployment filings in a single day earlier in the week, even as the Alabama Department of Labor’s own report for the week of March 15-21 recorded 10,982 initial claims filed online or by phone. State officials said the labor department is working around the clock to process the backlog of new claims.
All previously issued health orders remain in effect alongside Friday’s announcement, including the closure of public schools, the prohibition on-site dining at restaurants and bars, and limits on the number of children allowed at daycare facilities. A complete list of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions is available on the governor’s website, governor.alabama.gov.
As of Friday, Alabama had confirmed 571 cases of COVID-19 and three deaths tied to the virus, though Harris said the state was investigating at least five additional reported deaths. Roughly 10 percent of confirmed cases have resulted in hospitalization, he said, and of those patients, about half are in intensive care and roughly a third are on mechanical ventilation.
Harris cautioned that testing criteria vary by provider and that Alabama’s state lab has prioritized testing for symptomatic patients who require hospitalization or who are otherwise at high risk of severe complications, a policy that could be skewing the state’s reported numbers. He added that the true number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients across Alabama is likely higher than confirmed case data shows, since some patients are still awaiting test results while officials work with hospitals to obtain more complete information.