MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey announced Wednesday that she is extending Alabama’s mask mandate until January 22, 2021, as the state deals with coronavirus numbers that have never been larger.
No other changes were made to the state’s “Safer-at-home” order, which can be read in its entirety here.
Ivey, in November, removed many of the heavier restrictions on retailers, restaurants and other consumer-facing establishments. She did not reinstitute any on Wednesday, fulfilling her promise made last month not to close any businesses.
As Yellowhammer News reported Tuesday, Alabama is currently experiencing record levels of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Initially announced as a two-week measure in the middle of July, Ivey has determined an extension of the mask mandate is necessary several times over the following months, and the measure will now stay in place through the new year.
The policy has drawn fire from some conservatives on the grounds that a universal government edict goes against the values of the Republican Party.
Conversely, several more leftward leading voices have called on Governor Ivey and others in her position to reintroduce more business restrictions amid the high case and hospitalization numbers – calls the governor rebuffed with her amended order on Monday.
An ALDailyNews poll conducted November 16-17 with a sample size of 600 Alabama voters found that 63.3% approved of Ivey’s coronavirus response.
Conservative governors of states like Texas, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, West Virginia and Wyoming have all implemented mask orders, though the governors in all of Alabama’s neighboring states such as Florida and Georgia have resisted calls to put such a measure in place.
When Ivey last extended the mask order on November 5, she indicated she was near the end of extending the mask order, saying, “I know you can’t go on forever with a government mandate.”
It appears the rising case numbers convinced her the measure was still necessary. Public health officials say, and multiple scientific studies show, that wearing masks is an effective way to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
This story is breaking news and may be updated.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
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