City Council Places May 15 Deadline On Birmingham’s Mask, Public Safety Ordinances

By Sam Prickett

Birmingham has placed a May 15 deadline on its mask and public safety ordinances, bringing them in line with Gov. Kay Ivey’s safer-at-home order.

The face covering order — which requires Birmingham residents to cover their faces in public to slow the spread of COVID-19 — was originally passed by the City Council on April 28, but with no expiration date; that omission led District 2 Councilor Hunter Williams to vote against the bill.

At a special-called meeting on April 30, the council revised its shelter-in-place order — which had placed a 24-hour curfew on all nonessential public activity — to an overnight ordinance to accompany Ivey’s statewide reopening of retail stores and other businesses.

“The council, in consultation with the Mayor, finds that, with the reopening of retailers, it is reasonable to reduce the daytime restrictions on the City’s citizens and visitors but advisable to maintain an overnight curfew,” reads the measure approved by the council today. It adds that bars, nightclubs and other social and entertainment venues will remain closed.

The May 15 deadline may be temporary; the council will consider extending both ordinances during its regularly scheduled meeting on May 12.