New coronavirus cases are plummeting in Alabama. Once-crowded hospitals in coastal Alabama are starting to see relief.
Baldwin County’s weekly average of cases are at is lowest mark since early November.
So what does this mean? Microwrestling at the Daphne Civic Center on Friday, and a St. Patrick’s Day street party later this month.
The Daphne City Council, with a 5-1 vote Monday, endorsed a special events license to Manci’s Antique Club for a scaled-back street party on March 17. At the same time, the city announced it was hosting a Microwrestling event Friday at the Daphne Civic Center. Masks are required inside the city-owned venue, and social distancing will be required, according to the mayor.
“We’re starting to see some things come back to the city and our Civic Center, but it’s required to have a mask,” said Daphne Mayor Robin LeJeune.
Loosening restrictions
The loosening of restrictions and resuming of certain events is coming less than one week ahead of the expiration of Alabama’s existing “Safer at Home” order on Friday. It also comes as other cities, such as Mobile and Huntsville, are not hosting St. Patrick’s Day parades or street festivals this year.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is expected to extend the existing health order, but questions loom over whether the governor will loosen restrictions such as removing the state’s seven-month-old mask mandate that continues to be politically unpopular among conservative Republicans.
The expiration of the latest health order comes as other states, namely those with stricter or similar COVID-19 orders as Alabama, are relaxing the requirements.
Among them are:
- South Carolina, as of Monday, is allowing large gatherings of 250 or more people. It is also ending a “last call” order that restricted alcohol sales after 11 p.m.
- Virginia is allowing on-site alcohol sales at restaurant and bars until midnight (previously, it had been 10 p.m.). Outdoor entertainment and amusement park capacity is also increasing.
- Arkansas dropped capacity limits on restaurants, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson is analyzing whether the state’s mask mandate should expire on March 31.
- North Carolina dropped its curfew and is allowing bars to be at 30% of indoor capacity.
- Montana, which instituted a mask mandate at the same time as Alabama, lifted its face covering requirement last month.
- Ohio is allowing 25% indoor and 30% outdoor capacity at sporting events.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he’s wanting to rollback restrictions in the coming days. And Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has also said he’s looking at ending restrictions “very soon,” according to media reports.
The changes come with warnings from public health experts, including nation’s top infectious disease officials. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd on Sunday that he was worried about premature lifting of restrictions among some states. And Dr. Rochelle Wallensky, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said she was “really worried” over the relaxed measures.
Public health officials in Alabama are echoing their national counterparts. Dr. Karen Landers, assistant state health officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health, said that COVID-19 is “actively circulating” in Alabama with a current statewide positivity rate of 8.7%.
She also warned that B.1.1.7 – otherwise known as the UK variant of COVID-19, which health officials say is highly contagious – has been found in Alabama. According to CDC data, there have been 35 cases of the variant confirmed in the state. That is considerably higher than the cases confirmed in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina.
“Even though cases are decreasing, it is extremely important that all persons continue to follow mitigation standards,” said Landers. “Further, persons being in crowds and closed in spaces allows for close contact which can contribute to spread of this virus. All precautions should be taken during this time to continue to drive the number of cases down.”
Dr. Rendi Murphree, an epidemiologist who is director of the Mobile County Health Department’s Bureau of Disease Surveillance and Environmental Services, said the current Alabama health order prohibits “non-work” gatherings unless six-feet of social distancing can be maintained. She also said that masks, according to the state order, need to be worn indoor and outdoors if a venue cannot facilitate social distancing.
“Whether it’s a birthday party or St. Patrick’s Day or Mardi Gras or a prom or a wrestling match, the answer is the same: Gatherings are a bad idea,” Murphree said. “They are a potential super spreader. Anytime you gather with someone who does not live in a house with you, you raise your risk of contracting COVID-19.”
Muphree said the mask mandate remains in effect until at least Friday, and she anticipates Ivey extending it.
“I hope she will extend the mask mandate,” she said.
St. Patrick’s Day
Masks and social distancing are required in downtown Daphne for St. Patrick’s Day. The event at Manci’s is occurring even though, across the Mobile Bay, Callaghan’s Irish Social Club is canceling its annual St. Patrick’s Day block party within Mobile’s Oakleigh Historic District. The biggest concern at Callaghan’s is the potential of drawing a large crowd gathered close together outside the neighborhood pub.
Harry Johnson, co-owner of Manci’s with partner John “J.T.” Thompson – who is also the owner of Callaghan’s – said that Manci’s is not hosting the same traditional party as in year’s past. He said he requested an expansion of the venue’s outdoor footprint by eight parking spaces to give them more elbow room outside to socially distance during the party.
He said there will be no tent and no band performing outside. He said there will be no outdoor party on Manci’s parking lot. Johnson said he will administer an indoor capacity restriction as well.
“Would we have done this three months ago? Maybe not,” Johnson said, referring to the swift downfall in COVID-19 cases within the past month.
The request comes a few weeks after the Daphne council, with a vote of 4-2, agreed to close off a side street for Manci’s to host the outdoor party.
Councilman Steve Olen, the only “No” vote on both decisions, said during the February 15 meeting that the council had declined similar requests to close off a public park for an outdoor event. He said the council should be “consistent” with the Manci’s decision.
“It will encourage it to be a bigger event and cause health issues,” Olen said about the street closure. He declined to comment on Monday.
Councilman Ron Scott said Daphne is managing the Manci’s event similar to what Mobile did during Mardi Gras Day. In Mobile last month, city officials agreed to close off downtown streets to allow people to roam around outdoors during Fat Tuesday. Those street closures were also criticized by public health officials who worried about it leading to an increase of revelers. Mobile police reported that 1,700 people attended Mobile’s Fat Tuesday celebration, or about a fraction of the size of a standard Mobile Mardi Gras parade attendance.
“It’s less dangerous from a COVID standpoint, if they are outside than inside,” Scott said.
Mayor LeJeune said he feels that Johnson has done what is needed to keep Manci’s safe on St. Patrick’s Day. He also noted that the event is occurring about one month after Daphne – like all other cities in coastal Alabama – canceled all Mardi Gras-related parades and formal balls.
The stark decline in COVID-19 cases, and the increase in people getting vaccinated, has also been helpful.
“It’s taking a definite positive downturn,” said LeJeune.