Mask Mandate Extended In Alabama By Gov. Ivey

MONTGOMERY, AL — Alabama's mandatory face covering order, put in place July 15 and set to expire Friday, will be extended, Gov. Kay Ivey announced Wednesday. The order has been extended through August 31.

"These decisions are not easy, and they are not fun," Ivey said. "And it isn't possible to make everyone happy all the time. When you are elected governor, you have to do the right thing, which is not always the most popular thing."

Ivey said wearing a mask "can't hurt" and is necessary to keep the economy open and keep schools open.

"Obviously there is no better learning platform than face-to-face instruction," Ivey said. "We are doing the best we can to get our students back into the classrooms as soon as possible. We want to make sure no child is denied access to the best possible instruction they can get under the circumstances."

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"The purpose of masks is not to punish people, it is to inform people," Ivey said.

Ivey's "Safer at Home" order remains in effect:

Alabama has seen an average of more than 1,600 new cases of COVID-19 each day over the last week. The state confirmed 43 deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours.

Dr. Scott Harris, the state's health director, said recent numbers showing lower daily reports of new cases are promising, but are not an indication that the virus is going away.

"I am very aware that many people do not like the idea of wearing a face covering, and I don't either. I know people do not like being told what to do, and I don't either," Harris said. "But there is no argument that this is the right thing to do, and the best tool we have right now to prevent the spread of this."

Harris said the state still has "several moths to go" before the virus is under control.

Wednesday, Alabama passed 81,000 total cases of COVID-19, and is approaching 1,500 deaths from the virus. After a day of posting no COVID-19 deaths, the Alabama Department of Public Health confirmed 43 deaths Wednesday, one of the highest single-day totals reported since the pandemic began.

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