Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) called on Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) to issue a stay-at-home order for the Yellowhammer State amid a burgeoning number of coronavirus cases there.
“It is time Governor. All of the models show that Alabama will be in for a tough, tough time unless we get more aggressive. The stay at home message has reached a lot of folks but so, so many more are ignoring it. You save Alabama’s economy by saving her people first,” Jones, who is embroiled in a fierce reelection battle, tweeted.
The call comes as more than 1,100 Alabamans have confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Thirty-two people in the state have died thus far.
Ivey has said she is trying to walk a tightrope between keeping the people of her state safe while trying to keep Alabama’s economy above water. She has shuttered some nonessential businesses and closed the state’s beaches but has refrained from joining a growing number of governors in issuing a stay-at-home order.
“The governor remains committed to exploring all options and has not ruled anything out, but she hopes that we do not need to take this approach,” an official for Ivey told the Alabama Political Reporter on Wednesday.
“The governor’s priority is protecting the health, safety and well-being of all Alabamians, and their well-being also relies on being able to have a job and provide for themselves and their families. Many factors surround a statewide shelter-in-place, and Alabama is not at a place where we are ready to make this call,” the official added.
Regardless of Ivey’s policies, Jones on Thursday urged Alabamans to stay in their homes during a virtual town hall.
“Listen to the medical professions,” he said. “Do it for yourself and do it for your parents and do it for each other.”