MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth and State Rep. Danny Garrett (R - Trussville) released the “Reopen Alabama Responsibly: Phase I” report, a series of recommendations Gov. Kay Ivey requested for reopening the state’s economy in the coming weeks.
“Our report provides an effective roadmap for safely reopening businesses, restoring commerce, and recharging Alabama’s economy while, at the same time, protecting the public health,” Ainsworth said. “It allows stores, restaurants, entertainment venues, and businesses of all sizes to once again open their doors because when it comes to restarting our economy and putting people back to work, every business is an essential business.”
Ivey asked the Small Business Commission, along with other groups including state and federal representatives, to submit recommendations for getting Alabamians back to work in the safest way possible.
According to Ainsworth's office, a subcommittee of business leaders and members of the Alabama Legislature drafted the “Reopen Alabama Responsibly Phase: I”, with the full commission ratifying its contents.
“We have worked to create a detailed and thorough plan that considers all variables and allows businesses to resume operations if they follow strict health and safety guidelines for the foreseeable future,” Garrett said. “The numbers indicate that Alabama successfully minimized the health damage that COVID-19 posed to its citizens, so now we must begin to repair the serious and crippling economic damage that the virus inflicted.”
Garrett, who led the subcommittee, is said to have reached out to business owners across all industry sectors in order to provide the most comprehensive recommendations possible.
While many recommendations are specific to various industries, some guidelines apply across Alabama businesses, such as:
- Strictly monitoring the health of employees and placing any employee who displays symptoms of COVID-19 on sick leave
- Limiting the number of people allowed inside the place of business at one time
- Increasing the frequency of all sanitizing and cleaning measures and requiring additional sanitizing measures for certain circumstances
- Enforcing social distancing in all areas of the place of business, specifically high-traffic areas where markings will be required to ensure safe spacing at all times
- Establishing measures to limit interaction between employees and customers
Other recommendations include limiting cash transactions, requiring the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and face masks, and requiring temperature checks of customers before entering some businesses.
Ivey said earlier in the week that reopening the economy will be evaluated along with the recommendations of State Public Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris and other medical professionals working to "ensure that COVID-19 numbers continue to stabilize and decline." The stay-at-home order will be reviewed a decision whether or not to extend or amend it made on or before April 28.