A Message from Mayor Stimpson April 29, 2020
Apr 29th, 2020
Good evening,
It is 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, and I am writing to give you an update on the City of Mobile's efforts regarding COVID-19.
As of tonight, there are 1,003 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mobile County, out of 7,155 total tests. There are 51 deaths attributed to the virus.
We spent much of today gathering feedback to Gov. Ivey's "Safer at Home" order, which takes effect Thursday. Reaction is very divided with many feeling it does not do enough, and many feeling it does too much.
Our restaurant owners, and those working in the restaurant industry, appear to be the most distressed. Many of them are concerned that they may not be able to make it until May 15, when the order is scheduled to expire. We are hearing similar concerns from many of our local barbers and salon owners.
We know they need help. We continue to engage with state officials, and our hope is that they can focus on finding safe ways to re-open these businesses that remain closed under the new order.
We're not just waiting on others to act. We are developing guidelines and best practices that will allow these businesses to operate safely once they are free to do so. And, we are looking at innovative ways to help them during this challenging time - more to come on that tomorrow.
We continue to push for more testing in Mobile, which will help us slow the spread of COVID-19 and ultimately speed the recovery process. On an encouraging note, I had a call from Brian Ward, founder and chief executive of DocRx.
Brian, who provides products and services to the health care industry, recently acquired a testing machine that will enable his company to process test results similar to what we are doing in partnership with Synergy Labs.
In another positive step for our region, Wal-Mart will open a drive-through COVID-19 testing site at its store in Saraland tomorrow. Anyone with questions about tests and appointments can call Quest Diagnostics at 866-448-7719.
Tonight is the last night of the curfew in Mobile. We implemented this curfew to protect our citizens. It's important that citizens continue to practice social distancing, avoid gathering in groups and use good hygiene. We've come too far and sacrificed too much to Coronavirus to allow it to make a resurgence.
Tonight I joined thousands of Mobilians and others along the Gulf Coast in the "One Voice From Home" event. We gathered on our front porches, in our backyards and in our living rooms at 7 p.m. for an hour of prayer for our city.
As I listened to the live stream, I was moved by the words coming from such a diverse group of speakers from so many different backgrounds, denominations and beliefs. But all came together as one body, one voice, calling out to God.
There are people hurting in our community tonight. There are people consumed with fear, loneliness and pain. I believe that God hears our prayers and tonight we prayed for all in our community who are affected by the pandemic.
If we are united and our faith is strong, we can overcome any challenge.
Sincerely,
Mayor Sandy Stimpson