A Message from Mayor Stimpson - May 29th
May 29th, 2020
Good evening,
It is 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 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 2,162 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mobile County, out of 20,356 total tested. There are 114 deaths attributed to the virus.
We made significant progress this week in the fight against Coronavirus, and in the effort to safely re-open our economy.
Today we took an important step by releasing our plan to re-open many of our athletic fields and park facilities, in compliance with the State of Alabama's current Safer at Home guidelines.
Our Parks and Recreation Department has done an outstanding job in developing this plan, which will go into effect on June 1. We are taking a cautious approach and, in consultation with health experts, made the difficult decision to keep our swimming pools, splash pads and wading pools close for the 2020 season.
Details of the plan are available on the City of Mobile's website by clicking here.
We have a wonderful system of parks in Mobile, and these facilities are great resources for our citizens to maintain their physical and mental health. Of course, it is important to practice social distancing and good hygiene whenever we are public because the virus is still actively spreading in our community.
Among other developments this week:
- We are making plans to move the COVID-19 testing site we established with USA Health at Ladd-Peebles Stadium to the Mobile Civic Center. This move is necessary to shelter the health care workers and patients from Mobile's thunderstorms and lightning. We will make that transition by June 8.
- We reached an agreement with Alabama Power to replace 20,000 street lights in Mobile with newer, brighter LED lights. This project, to be completed citywide over the next 18 months, will significantly improve public safety in many of our neighborhoods.
- The Mobile History Museum re-opened its doors on Tuesday, and the Exploreum and GulfQuest Maritime Museum are scheduled to re-open next week. It's exciting to see these institutions welcoming visitors back. If you're looking for safe opportunities to get out of the house, I encourage you to visit the web sites of these museums to learn more about what they have to offer.
- We congratulated Visit Mobile and our hospitality community on the approval of a new Tourism Improvement District. This project, years in the making, is the first of its kind in the State of Alabama, and will be a tremendous resource in marketing our city to visitors in the years ahead.
As we break for the weekend, please be mindful of the shared responsibility we have to one another by wearing masks when in public, maintaining 6 feet of physical distance and keeping your hands clean.
I hope you'll find time to connect your family and your loved ones, even if it must be remotely. We will see you again on Monday.