Watch live: Kay Ivey holds COVID-19, mask mandate press conference

Governor Kay Ivey will hold a press conference at 11:00 a.m. CT on Thursday at the Alabama State Capitol.

She is expected to provide an update on COVID-19 and announce whether she will extend or modify the current State Health Order, which is set to expire on November 8.

The governor will be joined by State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris.

You can watch live on Facebook and follow along with Yellowhammer News’ Henry Thornton on Twitter.

The current State Health Order includes a statewide mask mandate, which was first instituted by Ivey and Harris on July 15.

The mandate has already been extended multiple times; the original expiration date announced by Ivey was July 31.

“Now I know that there are many people throughout this state who had hoped we would follow the lead of some other states who have removed the mask order,” Ivey acknowledged when extending the mandate last time around. “We’ve heard from a lot of you. And I hear you.”

“I look forward to being able to lift the mask order as much as you do, if not more,” she continued. “And hopefully that can be sooner, not later.”

“To those who want the masks to go away, I’m just asking you to continue to please, please be patient,” the governor added. “Be patient a little while longer. And y’all, just know I’m as tired of masks as anyone of you — maybe more than most.”

Examine the latest COVID-19 related data in Alabama via BamaTracker.com.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn