Alabama moves to ‘safer at home’ order this week. Here’s what that means for residents

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday said the state’s shelter-in-place order will shift into a “safer at home” order when it expires at 5 p.m. Thursday due to a stabilization of the number of new coronavirus cases.

The shelter-in-place order went into effect April 4 and closed non-essential businesses.

Ivey said in a press conference Tuesday that the new order is part of a “thoughtful, well-planned timetable” on how to reopen the economy.

“As of this week, we no longer believe our hospitals will see an overwhelming amount of ICU patients who need ventilators as we once believed,” Ivey said. “While we have not seen a decrease in the amount of newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients, we have seen stabilization, a leveling off if you will, in the amount of cases. Like everyone else, I look forward to easing back into our routines with caution.”

The “safer at home” order will still require social distancing, but allow beaches to reopen and non-necessary medical procedures to resume. It will not allow restaurant dining rooms, entertainment venues, athletic facilities or close-contact service providers such as hair salons to open.

Major changes under the “safer at home” order include:

• Individuals will be encouraged to stay home and follow good sanitation practices and social distancing, whereas under the current order they are ordered to stay home except for essential travel.
• All retail stores will be able to open whereas under the current order they are limited to a list of essential retailers. The stores will still be subject to a 50% occupancy rate, social distancing and sanitation rules.
• Beaches will be able to open when the current order expires, though no gatherings of 10 persons or more will be allowed and people must social distance.
• Medical procedures will be allowed so long as providers follow COVID-19-related rules.
• Under the “safer-at-home” order, non-essential businesses will be able to open subject to sanitation and social distancing guidelines

Restrictions that will continue to stay in place include:

• Non-work gatherings are limited to fewer than 10 people, with six feet of distance between them. This means traditional church services of more than 10 people will continue to be prohibited.
• Child day care facilities still must not allow 12 or more children in a room
• Restaurants, bars and breweries are still limited to take-out, curbside or delivery

Ivey said individuals should still take personal responsibility for slowing down the spread of COVID-19 by minimizing travel outside the home and wear face coverings, though neither is a requirement of the order.

“Let me be abundantly clear: the threat of COVID-19 is not over,” she said. “We’re still seeing the virus spread and all of our people are susceptible to infection. Folks, we must continue to be vigilant in our social distancing both today and for the foreseeable future.”

State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said the number of new cases reported each day has remained relatively flat and there has not been labor shortages at hospitals like was previously feared. Alabama has 6,850 cases as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, with 241 deaths.

He said the state has met two of three criteria set out by the White House to begin phase one of opening the state’s economy.

“We feel good about the criteria related to symptoms, the criteria related to hospital capacity; we have yet to meet the 14-day sustained decline that is recommended in those guidelines and I would say for that reason we are not proceeding to the full phase-one opening,” Harris said.

The order is more restrictive than one issued last week by neighboring Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, which allowed for restaurant dining rooms and services such as hair salons and massage therapy providers to reopen.

Ivey told reporters Tuesday she hadn’t talked to governors in the surrounding states about the “safer at home” order.

“This is an Alabama-developed and Alabama-prepared step we’re taking today,” she said.

The order can be viewed in its entirety on the governor’s website.