Alabama

Alabama hasn’t done enough to prepare for the “tsunami” of COVID-19 patients that will hit state hospitals and are putting lives at risk, Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth told the members of Gov. Kay Ivey’s COVID-19 Response Team in a letter obtained by APR. The letter, in which Ainsworth was highly critical of the state’s … Continued

The number of confirmed Alabama coronavirus cases jumped by more than 140 today. There are now at least 440 cases in 44 counties—up from 242 cases this time yesterday. A number of counties reported their first cases today. There are now at least 141 confirmed cases in Jefferson County, 44 in Lee County, 36 in … Continued

Alabama has reported its first death from the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The Jackson County Commission, in a statement posted to their Facebook page Wednesday, said a county employee died from the virus. “The Jackson County Commission and the employees of the county offer the family of one of our part-time employees its heartfelt … 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 head of Alabama’s Hospital Association said Thursday that he fears the coronavirus outbreak could overwhelm Alabama’s health care system if the public doesn’t take social-distancing guidelines seriously. “My big, big concern is as this tsunami approaches us in the coming weeks, we are going to be challenged to have enough ventilators for the state … Continued

Twenty-seven new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Alabama Thursday, a 50 percent increase over the total Wednesday. The total number of novel coronavirus cases in the state is now 78. [visual-link-preview encoded=”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″] New cases were reported in several counties Thursday including Chambers, Walker, Talladega and Mobile Counties. Several cases were reported in Jefferson, Lee, … Continued

Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday said the primary runoff election, which will include the headline race for the GOP nomination for Senate, will be held on July 14, 2020, over concerns surrounding the health and safety of Alabamians voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary election was scheduled for March 31. “Exercising my extraordinary powers … Continued

UPDATE: The owner of the largest bar in Auburn has said they will not reopen this week, according to The Auburn Plainsman. Lee County, Alabama—the home of Auburn University, where officials have been having trouble discouraging young people from visiting bars—now has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Public … Continued

We’re tracking the latest developments.