Special to the
Opelika Observer
Gov. Kay Ivey issued an amended ‘Safer at Home’ Order today to be applied statewide. The order which includes an expanded list of items to reopen will be effective May 22, 2020 at 5 p.m. and will expire on July 3, 2020 at 5 p.m.
New Updates:
– Entertainment Venues (such as arcades, theaters, bowling alleys) can open subject to social-distancing and sanitation rules and guidelines
– Athletic Activities are open subject to social-distancing and sanitation rules and guidelines
– Educational Institutions are open subject to social-distancing and sanitation rules and guidelines
– Child Day Care Facilities are open subject to social-distancing and sanitation rules and guidelines
Summer Camp remains open with rules and guidelines available
What’s staying the same:
– Individuals are encouraged to stay home and follow good sanitation practices
– Employers – Businesses may open subject to sanitation and social-distancing guidelines
– Retail Stores – All retail stores open subject to 50% occupancy rate, social-distancing and sanitation rules
– Medical Procedures are allowed unless prohibited in the future by the State Health Officer to preserve resources necessary to diagnose and treat COVID-19; providers must follow COVID-19-related rules and guidance from state regulatory boards or public health authorities
– Senior Citizens Centers – Regular programming still suspended except meals still available through curbside pick-up or delivery
– Hospitals and Nursing Homes to must still implement policies to restrict visitation
– Non-work gatherings are still required to maintain 6 feet of distance between persons not from same household
– Restaurants, Bars and Breweries may open with limited table seating, 6 feet between tables and subject to additional sanitation rules and aguidelines
– Athletic facilities may open subject to social-distancing and sanitation rules and guidelines
Close-contact Service Providers – Close-contact service providers (such as barber shops, hair salons, nail salons, tattoo services) may open subject to social-distancing and sanitation rules and guidelines
– Beaches are open with no limit on gatherings. Must maintain six feet of separation.
Supplemental State of Emergency related to evictions
Last Thursday, Gov. Kay Ivey issued a supplemental State of Emergency related to evictions. The new supplemental order can be found on the website https://governor.alabama.gov/newsroom/2020/05/tenth-supplemental-state-of-emergency-coronavirus-covid-19/ and reads as follows:
WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, I declared the existence of a state public health emergency based on the appearance of the 2019 novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 in the State of Alabama;
WHEREAS that initial proclamation included provisions designed to assist in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and in mitigating the consequences of COVID-19;
WHEREAS, on March 18, 20, 23, and 26, April 2, 3 and 13, and May 8, of 2020, I issued supplemental proclamations to further address the occurrence of COVID-19 in the State of Alabama; and
WHEREAS new implications of COVID-19 come to light on a continual basis, requiring flexibility and adaptability by all levels of government within the State of Alabama;
NOW THEREFORE, I, Kay Ivey, Governor of the State of Alabama, pursuant to the relevant provisions of the Alabama Emergency Management Act of 1955, as amended, Ala. Code 31-9-1, et. seq., do hereby proclaim the existence of conditions that warrant the implementation of additional extraordinary measures and relief during the state public health emergency now in effect to order to guard public health and protect human life. I therefore proclaim and direct all of the following:
I. Protection Against Evictions
Because the “Stay At Home” Order issued by the State Health Officer on April 3, 2020, ordered people to remain at their place of residence, I issued a supplemental emergency proclamation on April 3, 2020, that provided protection from residential evictions and foreclosures. Specifically, Section I of that proclamation prohibited state, county, and local law enforcement officers from enforcing “any order that would result in the displacement of a person from his or her place of residence.”
On May 8, 2020, I amended my April 3, 2020, proclamation to allow residential evictions and foreclosures where tenants or homeowners were breaking the law or endangering their neighbors. Specifically, I limited the protection against evictions and foreclosures to those “related to the nonpayment of [a person’s] lease, mortgage, or other payment obligation.”
I now find that the State Health Officer’s current “Safer At Home” order allows the citizens of Alabama to return to work and therefore earn income to satisfy their rental and mortgage payment obligations. Accordingly, the protections against eviction found in Section I of my April 3, 2020, proclamation and Section III of my May 8, 2020, proclamation will expire at 12:00 a.m. on June 1, 2020.
FURTHER, to the extent a provision in this supplemental proclamation conflicts with any provision of state law, that law is hereby suspended for the duration of this state of emergency, and this proclamation shall control.