Health

The Alabama Department of Public Health on Monday issued more restrictive guidance, cautioning against gatherings of more than 50 people and none if a person cannot stay at least 6 feet from others. The new recommendations also included a suggestion that the public should consider canceling or delaying out-of-state travel plans. The department’s recommendations come … Continued

Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a worldwide pandemic. It is now in Alabama. There is no reason to panic, but fear and anxiety are driving many to horde everything from toilet paper to Ibuprofen, leaving bare shelves from Walmart to the local pharmacy. Cautious vigilance is more the order of the day than panic. [visual-link-preview encoded=”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”] … Continued

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow all public schools in Alabama to provide food for students during the mandatory coronavirus (COVID-19) closures, according to a congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Congressman from Alabama Robert Alderholt tweeted on Sunday that the USDA granted Alabama a waiver for the National School Lunch Act … Continued

Congressman Bradley Byrne, R-Montrose, thanked President Donald Trump for his efforts to improve the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, but said that he still could not support it. “Tonight, I was asked to vote on a 110-page bill that spends billions of dollars and contains numerous mandates on small businesses only 26 minutes after receiving … Continued

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has directed department heads to advise workers to work from home, if possible, in response to the growing COVID-19 threat. “Because the safety of state employees is of utmost concern, each department director is authorized to advise employees to work from home if possible,” Gov. Ivey wrote to all state department … Continued

Congresswoman Terri Sewell, D-Selma, on Saturday commended the House passage of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The package includes many provisions to protect workers and stimulate the economy during the COVID-19 Coronavirus public health crisis. “In the face of this ongoing pandemic, it is critical that the federal government is providing Alabama families with … Continued

Secretary of State John Merrill and Gov. Kay Ivey are considering delaying Alabama’s March 31 primary runoff election amid the coronavirus outbreak. Merrill said on Twitter Sunday evening that he has asked Attorney General Steve Marshall for an AG’s opinion about allowing Ivey to postpone the runoff to a date to be determined in the … Continued

Christ Health Center in partnership with Church of the Highlands is launching an effort to test for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, in Birmingham. Testing will begin on Tuesday, March 17. Christ Health Center, in partnership with Church of the Highlands, Assurance Scientific, and in consultation with Jefferson County Department of Public Health and local hospital … Continued

Voters who are concerned about contracting or spreading an illness—including the novel coronavirus—can apply for an absentee ballot to vote in the upcoming primary runoff. The election will continue as planned, Secretary of State John Merill said. Merrill is in contact with local election officials in all 67 countries to encourage preventative measures to maintain … Continued