Governor talks about possible ‘Stay-at-Home’ order, efforts to gain supplies
POSTED: Friday, April 3, 11 a.m.
MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey has not yet issued a statewide ‘stay-at-home’ order as of Friday morning, but she has been seeking support from officials on the local level with decisions that may be made over the next few days.
Ivey discussed the issue in a conference call with members of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama on Thursday, stating that she has been getting questions regarding whether or not such an order will be put in place.
“Whatever decision we make here in Montgomery, we are asking for support from the rest of the state,” she said, adding that officials statewide must be on the same ‘sheet of music’ with efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Ivey also addressed the shortage of testing and other supplies in the state.
“Forty-nine other states, the federal government, and other countries are all competing for supplies,” she said. “We are tracking down every lead we can find for possible sources.”
She added that, in seeking supplies, the state is taking precautions not to fall victim to scams, such as the selling of counterfeit goods or charging exorbitant prices.
“We don’t want Alabama to be scammed,” she said, adding that the state is verifying that all products meet requirements.
Ivey said that Apple CEO Tim Cook had donated over 200,000 masks for healthcare workers in Alabama, and the Secretary of Commerce has set up the Business and Manufacturers Alliance (BAMA) to identify companies in the state that can manufacture supplies. She asked members of the ACCA to let the state know if there are vendors or manufacturers in their areas that may be able to help.
“These are complicated and conflicting times,” Ivey said. “We are on conference calls each week with the national task force and state task force,” she said. “We are all in this together – our country and our state and the local leaders together. We are working together and will start seeing each other face to face again before long.”
