MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Sen. Doug Jones said Thursday he believes the state should issue a statewide stay-home order, as other states have done, to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
“I would like to see one because it sends a strong message to the people of Alabama about how significant it is to use the social distancing, to use whatever means necessary to stop the spread of this virus,” Jones said during a news conference conducted via Facebook.
The number of reported deaths in Alabama on Thursday climbed to more than 30. The state reported that it had received nearly 75,000 unemployment claims in one week related to the virus. And Montgomery County disclosed that more than 5,000 medical masks received from the national stockpile — which is being distributed to alleviate supply shortages– were dry rotted.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has ordered the closure of non-essential businesses, closed beaches, on-site restaurant dining and schools, but has stopped short of a statewide shelter-in-place or stay-home order.
Republican governors in Florida, Mississippi and Georgia on Wednesday reversed course and issued stay-home directives after previously resisting such a statewide order.