Congresswoman Martha Roby, R-Alabama, this week asked constituents in an email to please adhere to all guidelines implemented by public officials.
“We are less than two weeks away from the deadline for the current statewide Safer at Home order,” Roby said. “Be sure to be on the lookout for updates from Governor Kay Ivey on the status of Alabama’s progress.”
Last month Gov. Kay Ivey extended her “safer-at-home” order to Dec. 11. The order includes a requirement that all Alabamians wear masks or cloth face coverings when out in public places and any time that we are around persons not living in your household. This would include family members like parents, grandparents, adult children, aunts, uncles and others that do not live in your home with you all of the time.
“As always, please adhere to all guidelines implemented by our public officials,” Roby warned. “Your participation helps protect your family and community.”
Since March, Alabamians have been getting infected with the novel strain of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. In most cases, symptoms are relatively mild if there are any symptoms at all, but for too many Americans the coronavirus develops into a severe case of COVID-19.
As of press time, 274,355 Americans have died from COVID-19 since February — 3,578 of them in Alabama. Globally 1,476,691 people have died from the COVID-19 pandemic. The disease has been very taxing on the nation’s healthcare infrastructure, which has had to deal with 13,921,521 cases of coronavirus including 249,524 cases here in Alabama.
Presently 1,785 Alabamians are in hospital beds battling complications from COVID-19.
If everyone would wear their masks, social distance, avoid large gatherings, stay home as much as possible, wash their hands frequently, use hand sanitizer, avoid visiting nursing homes and follow all other public health guidelines, public health authorities say that we can slow the spread of the virus.
A vaccine is likely to become available later this month to a select group of high-risk people, though it will likely be limited to healthcare workers and the most vulnerable at first.
Roby represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. She is retiring from Congress when her current term ends at the end of this month. Former State Rep. Barry Moore, a Republican, will be representing the 2nd Congressional District beginning Jan. 3.
Roby added, “The House and Senate are both in Washington this week conducting legislative business.”
