Mobile County Health Officer Dr. Bernard H. Eichold II signed a mandatory public health order on March 18, 2020, temporarily suspending certain public gatherings across the county in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The order took effect that evening at 5 p.m.
The move came as Jefferson County, home to Birmingham, reported nearly two dozen positive COVID-19 test results, a cluster that alarmed public health officials elsewhere in the state. At the time the order was issued, Mobile County had not recorded a single confirmed case of the virus.
“In order to prevent what is happening in Birmingham, we are issuing these orders,” Dr. Eichold said, referencing Jefferson County’s rising case count. “We have no confirmed cases in Mobile County, so we want to make every effort to protect our residents. We want to work against this very aggressive virus from being established in our county.”
Under the order, restaurants, bars, breweries and Priority Category 3 food service establishments in Mobile County were barred from allowing on-premises consumption of food or drink for one week. Officials said the restriction would be reevaluated before the week was out, with the possibility of extending, modifying or lifting it depending on how the outbreak developed.
The order also placed new restrictions on nursing homes and long-term care facilities, requiring them to prohibit visits from outside visitors and non-essential health care personnel. An exception was carved out for compassionate care situations, such as when a resident is nearing the end of life.
Senior citizen centers were ordered closed to group gatherings as well. Centers and their community partners were urged to keep serving meals to clients through curbside pickup or delivery rather than in shared dining spaces, so that older residents — among the most vulnerable to severe complications from COVID-19 — would not go without food assistance.
The order additionally reinforced guidance already handed down by the Alabama Department of Education requiring daycares and schools with 12 or more people to remain closed, and it advised residents to wash their hands frequently and clean countertops and other frequently touched surfaces.
Dr. Eichold acknowledged the order would disrupt daily life for Mobile County residents and businesses but said the county needed to act before the virus gained a foothold locally, rather than wait for cases to appear. “I apologize for any inconvenience this causes,” he said. “This is a similar order to what was issued for Jefferson, Blount, St. Clair, Shelby, Tuscaloosa and Walker counties. Even though we have not had a case here, we need to do this to stay ahead of the virus.”
Mobile County’s order mirrored steps already taken in several other Alabama counties earlier in March 2020, as state and local health officials began imposing restrictions on gatherings, dining and elder care facilities in the earliest weeks of what would become a prolonged public health emergency. A county health officer’s order carries the force of law within the jurisdiction and is typically issued under authority granted by the state health department to respond to an imminent public health threat.