Gov. Ivey extends the Safer at Home health order

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WBRC) - Governor Kay Ivey and State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris have extended the Safer at Home Order until October 2, 2020.

This includes the mandatory face covering order that says every person shall wear a mask or face covering over their mouth and nose when you are within six feet of a person from another household in public, or in an outdoor space where more than ten people are gathered together.

The extender Safer at Home order includes the language, “The law-enforcing authorities of the state shall enforce that order as any other order, rule, or regulation promulgated by the Governor under the Act, and the penalty for violating it shall be a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment in the county jail.”

Ivey said Dr. Deborah Birx, with the White House Task Force, has been very complimentary of Alabama’s mask order and the effect the order is having on COVID-19 cases including fewer people in hospitals as well as fewer positive cases in many areas.

State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said, “We have definitely seen improvements in daily numbers of new cases, the number of deaths are declining, the average daily number of deaths are declining, the number of hospitalizations have declined significantly and are as low as they have been before the 4th of July holiday.”

Ivey said she wanted to thanks the people of Alabama for their understanding, their patience, their support and their willingness to help us get through these difficult days.

Ivey said, “We should not be deceived that being vigilant against COVID-19 during the day ends when the football game begins... We must wear a mask and stay six feet apart as much as possible when we are not with members of our household. Y’all this includes high school football games as well as college games when they kick off their season because we must remain committed to defeat this virus until we have a vaccine that will do just that.”

Ivey said the extension is in place to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in Alabama.

The Safer at Home order was set to expire Monday, August 31.

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