Alabama's mask order will end April 9, Gov. Kay Ivey announced today.
Ivey said the roughly one month mask extension allows businesses ample time to implement their own policies and make adjustments ahead of the deadline. Several major retailers – including Kroger, Target and Walgreens – indicated they will leave orders requiring facial coverings in place even as more states drop the requirement.
Ivey stressed the mask requirement will not be extended past April 9 but does get the state past the Easter holiday on April 4. The current order was set to expire tomorrow at 5 p.m.
"April 9 is going to be the last day we’re going to have a mask mandate,” Ivey said during a Thursday press conference in Montgomery . "Alabamians are smart. They have good common sense. They know what works. But after (April) 9th, we’re not having a mask mandate.”
The governor added she personally would continue to wear a mask when she’s around people but after April 9 the requirement will become "a matter of personal responsibility and not a government mandate.”
Alabama first issued its mask order in July amid soaring coronavirus case numbers and concerns about overwhelming the healthcare system. Recently, Alabama has seen a decline in the number of cases with hospitalizations dropping dramatically.
And while the mask order remains in place for another month, other provisions of the states "Safer at Home” order are changing:
Restaurants, bars and breweries no longer have to limit party size at tables. Partitions or keeping tables six feet apart still applies.
Outdoor programs will be allowed at senior centers. Guidelines for the programs will be written by the Department of Senior Services.
Hospital patients and nursing home residents will be allowed visits from two people at a time. The previous order limited that to one.
Summer camps may operate subject to social distancing and sanitation rules.
The changes for restaurants, bars, nursing homes, hospitals and senior centers goes into effect March 6.
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