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.
U.S. military troops on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota
The move comes after President Trump again threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to control ongoing protests over the immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis.
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream … about health care
A doctor from Nigeria tells what Martin Luther King Jr. taught him about health, Justice and inequality.
Sunday Puzzle: It takes two
Ilyse Levine-Kanji of Westborough, Massachusetts plays the puzzle with Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster Will Shortz and host Ayesha Rascoe.
Venezuela: Maduro’s enforcer Cabello still central to power
The ousting of Venezuela's president raised hopes of change — but the politician now controlling the streets shows how little has really shifted.
Amid ICE clashes, New Hampshire bishop urges clergy to prepare their wills
The Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire told priests protesting ICE to get their wills and affairs in order. Some praise the bishop, while other priests say they never signed up to be martyrs.
New York Giants hire John Harbaugh as coach after identifying him as their top choice
Harbaugh joins the Giants 11 days after he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens. The Super Bowl champion is now tasked with turning around a beleaguered franchise.
