Governor Kay Ivey has extended Alabama’s state of emergency for COVID-19, scheduled to expire Tuesday, to the end of October.
The statewide proclamation, initially issued Aug. 13. 2021, eased regulatory burdens for health care providers struggling with the late summer surge of hospitalizations, allowing for an increase in hospitals capacity and hasten purchases of emergency medical equipment.
The order will now expire Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021.
“The current narrowly-focused state of emergency for covid-19 is aimed at easing burdens on health care providers and making government more responsive,” the governor’s office said in a statement Friday. “Alabama is making strides on the covid-front as more and more Alabamians get their covid-19 vaccines and as hospitalizations and cases decline.”
The governor’s office also pointed to a 70 percent drop in COVID-19 cases and a 60 percent drop in hospitalizations in Alabama between September and the previous week.
According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, a total of 5,369 Alabama residents tested positive with COVID-19 in the past week, showing a steady decline from the week previous.
Hospitalizations continue to trend downwards statewide, with 929 confirmed COVID-19 patients in Alabama hospitals as of Sunday, an uptick from Saturday of 23 patients.
A total of 7,670 Alabamians have died this year due to COVID-19.
