Gov. Kay Ivey: No change in Alabama's COVID-19 approach despite ongoing growth in cases

The cases continue to rise. But Alabama's approach to COVID-19 will remain the same. 

Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday announced that she would extend a "Safer At Home" order to July 31, without imposing any new restrictions amid a monthlong rise in coronavirus cases in the state — a break from other states like Florida, Texas, and Arizona which are also experiencing increases in cases and have imposed new restrictions to combat them. 

A proclamation issued by the governor on Tuesday said that "COVID-19 remains a serious public health threat" but insisted that the "initial measures" to contain the virus "are not sustainable in the long run."

"Widescale business closures and stay-at-home orders carry significant costs," the proclamation said. "They impede business investment and expansion. They reduce tax revenues that fund vital public services. And most importantly, they prevent working people from supporting their families."

Ivey said at a press conference Tuesday morning before the extended July 4 holiday that "you can't have a life without a livelihood" and doubted the state's ability to enforce a mask order. But she insisted that people take the order seriously.

"Let me urge you in the strongest manner I can to incorporate COVID-19 cautions into your daily routine," Ivey said. 

It was a punctuation mark on a grim month for the state of Alabama. With most lockdown procedures lifted in mid-May, coronavirus cases began moving upward after Memorial Day. According to Bama Tracker, the state's seven-day average of cases stood at 292 cases per day on June 5. As of Monday, the average had more than tripled, to 950 cases a day. The virus continues to take a high toll on Black Alabamians. Rep. Dexter Grimsley, D-Newville, lost his sister, a nurse, to the virus. 

"We do know we can protect ourselves from COVID-19 to an extent," Grimsley, who is Black, said at the press conference. "We know we can protect outher from COVID-19 by following recommendations that leaders have told us, and just by using common sense."

The daily average of hospitalizations has stayed more or less constant in the state despite the increase in cases over the month of June. Montgomery, a hot spot for the virus for months, has seen its seven-day new case average fall from 106 on June 15 to about 69 on Monday. 

But Alabama's positive COVID-19 test rates stood at 15% on Monday, a worrying sign for public health officials about the spread of the virus in Alabama. Montgomery's positive test rate has been at or near 19% for the past two weeks, the highest of all the state's major cities. 

More:Montgomery's positive coronavirus test rate is stubbornly high and that concerns officials

Despite the climb in caseloads, Ivey and other public officials stuck to the existing Safer at Home orders issued on May 21 that lifted the last of a series of restrictions in April aimed at bringing the virus under control. Before Tuesday, the governor had not held a press conference on the outbreak in more than a month. In response to queries from numerous outlets, the office sent a version of the same quote that Ivey and State Public Health Officer Scott Harris were "closely monitoring" the situation. 

More:Local control: As Alabama coronavirus cases rise, cities start moving mask ordinances

Ivey throughout the pandemic has expressed concerns about the state economy, hit hard by the outbreak. More than 500,000 Alabamians have applied for unemployment benefits, and the fund is in danger of running out. Unemployment in Alabama in April hit 12.9%, a 37-year high. May's number was a better 9.9%, but still about 3 times what the rate was earlier in the year. 

More:As Alabamians sleep on pavement for benefits, state unemployment fund runs low

State and local tax receipts are likely to take a beating from the economic downturn, and after an aid package cleared Congress in March, the federal government has seemed uninterested in extending any additional support to individuals, businesses, or governments.

The governor has at times seemed to doubt the state's ability to contain the epidemic. On Tuesday Ivey said that the presence of the virus was a "new normal" that state residents will have to live with. It is a contrast to other Republican governors, such as Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona, who have ordered the closings of bars to address the spread of the virus. 

But both Ivey and other officials who spoke at the press conference on Tuesday expressed doubts that they could enforce a statewide mask order, and did not mention any consideration of wider business closings. Harris echoed Ivey's hopes that residents would voluntarily follow guidance on COVID-19. 

"This is a time for us to step up and take responsibility for our own behavior," Harris said. "What we do affects other people, and what we do can affect other people in very serious ways."

In the absence of state action, local governments began taking their own. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed on June 17 issued an executive order requiring the wearing of masks in the city amid a coronavirus outbreak. Jefferson County and Selma issued similar orders last week, and Mobile and Tuscaloosa are expected to consider them this week. 

Ivey's office has signaled that the governor does not object to cities pursuing their own mask ordinances.  In turn, local mayors have said a stronger state response would enhance their own efforts to fight the pandemic. 

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com.