Skip to content

COVID-19

News / Economy / State

New unemployment claims declined last week

There were 8,676 new unemployment claims filed in Alabama last week, down from 11,048 the previous week, according to the Alabama Department of Labor. Of the claims filed between Aug. 16 and Aug. 22, 4,588, or 53 percent, were related to COVID-19. That compares to 56 percent the previous week and 65 percent the week … Continued
/
August 28, 2020

PR firm urges businesses to adapt marketing strategies to crisis

The COVID-19 crisis has been hard on businesses, but it also presents new opportunities that can be taken advantage of, according to a Birmingham-based public relations firm that spoke at the Business Council of Alabama’s Engage Alabama conference. Louise Oliver, president and founder of Peritus Public Relations, headed a virtual presentation that exemplified what it … Continued
/
August 28, 2020

Jones, Maddox praise Ivey’s mask order, discuss police reforms

In a wide-ranging, online press briefing, Sen. Doug Jones and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox praised Gov. Kay Ivey for her response to the coronavirus pandemic and discussed the need for law enforcement changes to repair the relationship between local police and Black communities.  Much of Thursday’s briefing was spent going through COVID-19 data in the … Continued
/
August 27, 2020

Governor extends mask order through Oct. 2

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday extended her “safer-at-home” order another five weeks to Oct. 2. This includes the mandate that everyone socially distance and wear masks whenever they are around people not from their immediate household. “Today with the support of Dr. Harris I am extending the Safer at Home order,” Ivey said during … Continued
/
August 27, 2020

Lawmakers: Broadband access most important issue facing Alabama

Expanding access to broadband in Alabama isn’t just one of the biggest issues facing the state, there is “nothing more important,” Alabama Senate President Del Marsh said Wednesday during the Business Council of Alabama’s Engage Alabama event.  Marsh was part of a panel of speakers discussing the state’s efforts to expand broadband internet access, and … Continued
/
August 26, 2020

Alabama mayors discuss surviving COVID-19 in Business Council of Alabama’s online conference

Alabama businesses have suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’ve also found ways to innovate and to drive the needed changes to keep their employees and customers safe, said the mayors of Alabama’s five largest cities.  The Business Council of Alabama’s Engage Alabama virtual business conferences kicked off Wednesday with a discussion of how the … Continued
/
August 26, 2020

Despite COVID, Ivey administration aims to build a stronger workforce

From record-high employment in February to today’s economic downturn, things have changed dramatically for the state’s workforce, but there is also some good news. One thing that hasn’t faltered due to the pandemic’s ravages is Gov. Kay Ivey’s commitment to preparing Alabama’s workforce for the 21st-century job market. The innovation and forward-thinking efforts of the … Continued
/
August 26, 2020

419 Alabamians have died from COVID-19 in August

The Alabama Department of Public Health on Monday confirmed six additional deaths from COVID-19, taking the state’s death toll from the pandemic to 1,950. Of those deaths, 419 have been reported in August alone. August already is the second-worst month of the pandemic for deaths in the state, trailing only July. The state is averaging … Continued
/
August 25, 2020