Monday, Congresswoman Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) provided guidance to constituents on the COVID-19 global pandemic that is spreading rapidly across our state and nation.
“As our country moves forward with addressing the challenges associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), it is incumbent upon my office to provide the people of Alabama’s Second Congressional District with the most recent information surrounding COVID-19,” Roby explained.
“The Administration’s latest guidance regarding the virus for the next 15 days is to avoid public places such as restaurants, avoid social gatherings of ten or more guests even in your home, avoid discretionary travel, and to engage in work and schooling from home if possible,” Roby continued. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends to cancel or postpone events and mass gatherings that consist of 50 or more people.”
“The CDC has several resources available online relating to the COVID-19 outbreak including how to keep your home and workplace safe and clean, best practices to slow the transmission of germs, signs and symptoms of the virus, what to do if you become sick, frequently asked questions, and many more helpful tools,” Roby added.
“Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) announced they are in the process of setting up 20 laboratory testing sites across the state,” Roby announced. “ADPH recommends any person who has questions about being tested for COVID-19 to contact their healthcare provider ahead of time so that the provider can take steps to prevent others in the office from being infected. ADPH suggests discussing any health concerns with your primary care provider, as they are knowledgeable on your past medical history and know how to best move forward with treatment. ADPH has also set up a toll-free hotline for anyone with questions regarding testing at 1-888-264-2256.”
“Out of caution, my offices are currently closed to visitors at this time,” Roby said. “Our staff remains operational, and we will continue to provide updates on this as necessary. If you call our offices, we will get back to you as soon as possible. As you all know, this situation is constantly changing and evolving, and I remain committed to keeping you all updated on the latest emerging details.”
Globally, there have been 182,204 COVID-19 cases and 7,139 deaths since this new strain of coronavirus appeared in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China late in 2019. Since then, it has expanded across the globe. 620 people died Monday globally, with 349 of them in Italy alone. In the U.S. 4,706 have tested positive for COVID-19. 91 have died (17 on Monday).
The first case of coronavirus in Alabama was discovered on Monday. We now have 29 COVID-19 cases in Alabama. 17 are in Jefferson County, 3 in Shelby, 3 in Tuscaloosa, 2 in Montgomery, and 1 each in Lee, Baldwin, Elmore, and Limestone.
