Senator Doug Jones
BIRMINGHAM – U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Ala.) today issued the following statement in response to Governor Kay Ivey’s decision to issue a “Safer At Home” policy upon expiration of the current stay-at-home order this Thursday evening:
“As I said last week, I am grateful for Governor Ivey’s measured response in light of the intense pressure she’s faced to re-open our state’s economy, particularly as our neighboring states rush to open quickly before meeting critical health criteria released by the White House. But I cannot stress enough that Alabamians should focus on the Governor’s and Dr. Harris’ warnings today that we are not in the clear yet, and to remain at home and continue to socially distance as much as possible.
“When it comes to testing, real concerns were raised when Dr. Harris rightly pointed out that, given supply chain issues, Alabama is doing the best we can with what we have available. And today it appears that testing is arriving on a ‘just in time’ basis. But before we can fully re-open, we must have the capacity in place to test everyone on a routine basis regardless of symptoms.
“Going forward, we must continue to follow the data and the guidance of our public health experts as we take these measured steps toward re-opening our economy, and we should all be prepared to take a step back if the data calls for it. If we follow the data and put our full focus toward rapidly increasing testing, we can re-open our economy – and keep it open – in a responsible way that keeps Alabamians safe.”
Media Release/Office of Alabama Senator Doug Jones
