The governor of Alabama said she will extend the state’s current mask mandate through April 9, then lift the order.
Gov. Kay Ivey said Thursday the extension is to allow businesses time to implement their own policies and make any necessary adjustments prior to the deadline.
Under the current order, masks are required in public whenever someone is within 6 feet of another individual from a different household. Face coverings are also required in schools and colleges for both employees and students in second grade and above.
But once the order ends on April 9, masks will no longer be mandated.
“There’s no question that wearing masks has been one of my greatest tools in combating the spread of the virus,” Ivey said at a press conference Thursday.
“And even when we lift the mask order, I will continue to wear my mask while I’m around others, and strongly urge my fellow citizens to use common sense and do the same thing. But at that time it will become a matter of personal responsibility and not a government mandate,” she continued.
The governor said the state kept the mask order in place for a “generous amount of time.”
Ivey’s announcement comes days after the governors of Texas and Mississippi announced that they would be lifting their states’ mask mandates and rolling back many of their Covid-19 health requirements. All three governors are Republicans.
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