From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
Alabama
Montgomery: The state’s mask mandate expires April 9 but not the recommendation to wear masks, the state health officer emphasized Friday. “There is nothing magical about the date of April 9. We don’t want the public to think that’s the day we all stop taking precautions,” State Health Officer Scott Harris told reporters. Gov. Kay Ivey has extended Alabama’s mask order through the evening of April 9 but said after that she will let it expire. She said then it will be a matter of personal responsibility. State health officials urged people to maintain precautions – particularly during spring break and Easter gatherings – as the state tries to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations. Dr. Sarah Nafziger, vice president of clinic support services at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said she hopes people continue to wear masks when the mandate goes away. “I hope people do continue to make the right choice now because we are not out of the woods yet. We have a lot of vulnerable people in our population, and the last thing we want to do is for them to be sick and for them to die,” Nafziger said. So far about 14% of the state’s 4.9 million people have received at least one shot of vaccine. The Alabama National Guard will travel to the Black Belt this month to deliver vaccinations in communities with few medical providers.