MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey urged people not to let their guard down on precautions intended to slow the coronavirus outbreak, but was noncommittal Tuesday whether some closures would have to be extended through May.
Ivey said at a news conference that she wants to reopen the state economy as soon as possible. But she suggested that, as other states have signaled, may happen in a piecemeal approach.
“I’m personally grateful so many people appear to be staying at home and taking the order to heart. All indicators suggest that it appears to be working. I cannot overemphasis enough — in fact it is imperative — that we keep doing what we are doing,” Ivey said in her appearance at the Alabama Capitol.
She said it was too soon to predict which closure orders would be lifted, and which remain, when the stay-home order expires at the end of April. She said she is consulting with the state’s congressional delegation. She said a state committee will arrange a timeline for reopening.
The Republican governor stressed economic concerns, noting that more than a quarter million people have filed for unemployment in the state in the past four weeks. Some national health experts warn it is still too early to reopen economic activity.