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COVID-19

“An unprecedented situation”: Sen. Doug Jones says “anything is on the table” including direct financial assistance

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones on Tuesday said “anything is on the table” as the country reels from the spread of COVID-19, state health officials rush to try to contain the outbreak and healthcare facilities prepare for an unprecedented strain on the country’s health system. Jones said the Senate is likely to pass the House’s coronavirus … Continued
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March 17, 2020

SPLC joins ACLU of Alabama in request for plans to protect jails, prisons from COVID-19

Civil rights groups are demanding that action is taken to protect people in jails and prisons, who are vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19.  The Southern Poverty Law Center on Tuesday called for the federal government and officials in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida to protect those facilities through evidence-based protocols and to “release those people … Continued
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March 17, 2020

Alabama Democrats join calls to postpone March 31 primary runoff

Monday, the Alabama Democratic Party joins Secretary of State John Merrill (R) in exploring a brief postponement of the March 31 primary runoff election. “It is a prudent course of action in this one specific circumstance,” the Alabama Democratic Party wrote in a statement. “Protecting the health and safety of voters, poll workers, and election … Continued
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March 17, 2020

Shelby County student tests positive for COVID-19

A Shelby County student has tested positive for COVID-19, the school system announced in a letter to parents Monday.  Shelby County Schools superintendent Lewis Brooks in the letter wrote that students attending Oak Mountain Intermediate and Oak Mountain Elementary may have been exposed to COVID-19 through contact with the student.  School officials weren’t certain when … Continued
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March 17, 2020

Coronavirus testing still lagging in Alabama, expert says

Testing for COVID-19 in Alabama remains slow, due in part to inadequate capacity in the state’s lab to run the tests, and it’s a problem mirrored across the country, says an infectious disease expert in Birmingham.  Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, head of infectious diseases at University of Alabama at Birmingham, said during a press conference Monday … Continued
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March 16, 2020

Alabama hospital worker tests positive for coronavirus

An employee at East Alabama Medical Center in Lee County has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a state health official said Monday.  The positive test was added Sunday evening to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s website, but the hospital announced Monday the person was a staff member.  State health officer Dr. Scott Harris … Continued
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March 16, 2020