Alabama Health Department Expands COVID-19 Restrictions
The Alabama Department of Public Health announced Tuesday plans to expand a previously announced health order in Jefferson County to surrounding areas.
The new directives will now affect Tuscaloosa, Walker, Blount, St. Clair and Shelby counties. The guidelines prohibit crowds of more than 25 people and on-site eating and drinking at restaurants and bars for at least a week.
Alabama Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris strongly encouraged other counties across the state to follow suit.
In addition, gatherings at senior centers are prohibited effective Wednesday, and private schools will close. Preschools and childcare centers with 12 or more children will also close until April 6.
This comes as the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alabama continues to rise. As of Tuesday morning, the state had 36 cases of COVID-19, with 20 of them found in Jefferson County. Harris says those numbers are bound to increase statewide.
“We understand that there can be a testing bias in Jefferson County because that’s where most of the testing is occurring, where most people are able to get access … but as we roll out testing [in other parts of the state] I think we’ll find additional cases,” Harris says.
ADPH expects to create up to 10 new screening sites across the state operating by the end of the week.
“The limiting step has been being able to obtain supplies like some protective equipment and swabs for testing,” Harris says.
Court rules Alabama violated Voting Rights Act in drawing congressional lines
A three-judge panel permanently blocked Alabama from using a state-drawn map that they said flouted their directive to draw a plan that was fair to Black voters. The decision was not a surprise because the panel ruled against the state twice previously and put a new map in place for last year’s elections.
Who is the new Pope Leo XIV and what are his views?
Pope Leo XIV was born and raised in Chicago. He is of French, Italian and Spanish descent. He spent years working as a missionary in Peru.
India and Pakistan trade attacks amid risk of war between nuclear states
The escalation began after India accused Pakistan of being behind an attack where gunmen killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in India-administered Kashmir on April 22. Pakistan denies it.
FEMA’s acting administrator is replaced a day after congressional testimony
The abrupt change came the day after Cameron Hamilton testified on Capitol Hill that he did not agree with proposals to dismantle an organization that helps plan for natural disasters and distributes financial assistance.
RFK Jr. says autism database will use Medicare and Medicaid info
The National Institutes of Health will partner with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to create a database of Americans with autism, using insurance claims, medical records and smartwatch data.
World Central Kitchen closes soup kitchens across Gaza due to dwindling supplies
Israel's ongoing blockade of aid for Gaza forced the humanitarian group to shut its soup kitchens as it faced empty warehouses and no replenishment of supplies in the war-battered enclave.
