Health

The Irondale Community School has a confirmed case of COVID-19, Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin Jr. announced Saturday.  In a letter posted to the City of Irondale’s Facebook page, Gonsoulin said an individual at the school tested positive for the virus, and that students and employees at the school may have been exposed.    The … Continued

When Amber Faircloth learned Thursday of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in an Alabama prison, she worried that her husband, who has cancer, could be in jeopardy.  Her husband, who’s serving time at Limestone prison, is one of more than 1,000 inmates most at risk of serious complications or death if the virus spreads … Continued

No, grocery stores in Alabama are not closing next week. In a week of rumors surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest social media hoax on Friday — that Gov. Kay Ivey would order closed all Alabama businesses, including grocery stores, next week — sent shoppers around the state cramming into supermarkets on Friday night. Despite … Continued

The Alabama Department of Corrections on Friday announced a 30-day moratorium on taking in inmates from the county jails amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  ADOC on Thursday said an administrative employee in a prison tested positive for the virus, and that all staff who came into contact with the person are under a 14-day quarantine. It … Continued

State school superintendent Erick Mackey announced Friday that Alabama will ask the federal government for a waiver so that the state can suspend all state testing for the rest of the year due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  Speaking to reporters Friday Mackey said there will also be no report cards given out for the rest … Continued

Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Public Health said Friday that a public health order issued Thursday is not meant to apply to work-related gatherings of 25 people or more. “In order to keep Alabama going, we must keep Alabama businesses going to the best of our abilities,” Ivey said. “I fully support … Continued

The Alabama Department of Commerce announced Tuesday that a number of Alabama firms, research institutions and scientists have been mobilized in the international effort to fight the novel coronavirus, which has killed over ten thousand people this year. Huntsville’s Diatherix announced that it has developed a highly sensitive and specific assay, or test, for the … Continued

A recent report by the federal government, backed by another in the UK, estimates the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. “will last 18 months or longer and could include multiple waves of illness.”  The 100-page unclassified COVID-19 response plan drafted by the  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and obtained by The New York … Continued

There is not enough help coming fast enough to the people struggling the most.  That was the message from Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, who was asked on the “Alabama Politics This Week” podcast about the efforts of Alabama’s state government to address the COVID-19 pandemic.  [visual-link-preview encoded=”eyJ0eXBlIjoiZXh0ZXJuYWwiLCJwb3N0IjowLCJwb3N0X2xhYmVsIjoiIiwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hbHBvbGl0aWNzdGhpc3dlZWsuY29tL3RoaXMtY29yb25hdmlydXMtc3Vja3MvIiwiaW1hZ2VfaWQiOi0xLCJpbWFnZV91cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2FscG9saXRpY3N0aGlzd2Vlay5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjAvMDMvU1RPUC1DT1JPTkFWSVJVUy5qcGciLCJ0aXRsZSI6IlRoaXMgQ29yb25hdmlydXMgU3Vja3MiLCJzdW1tYXJ5IjoiSm9zaCBhbmQgRGF2aWQgdGFsayBhdCBsZW5ndGggYWJvdXQgQ09WSUQtMTnigJlzIGltcGFjdCBvbiBBbGFiYW1hLiBIb3VzZSBtaW5vcml0eSBsZWFkZXIgQW50aG9ueSBEYW5pZWxzIHN0b3BzIGJ5IHRvIGdvIG92ZXIgdGhlIGxlZ2lzbGF0dXJl4oCZcyBmdXR1cmUgYW5kIHRoZSBzdGVwcyBiZWluZyB0YWtlbiB0byBwcm90ZWN0IHBlb3BsZSBhbmQgYnVzaW5lc3Nlcy4gIiwidGVtcGxhdGUiOiJ1c2VfZGVmYXVsdF9mcm9tX3NldHRpbmdzIn0=”] “If you’ve never been poor, you … Continued