A Message from Mayor Stimpson - April 17
Apr 17th, 2020
Good evening,
It is 9 p.m. on Friday, April 17, and I am writing to give you an update on the City of Mobile’s efforts regarding COVID-19.
As of tonight, there are 627 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mobile County, and 25 deaths attributed to the virus. Please note that the total number of cases continues to rise, a sure indication that the disease is still spreading within our community.
In the past 24 hours, two important reports were released regarding how to restart the state and national economies. These reports will help guide President Trump and Governor Ivey over the coming days as they weigh significant decisions about when and how to lift current restrictions on employers and individuals.
Our team is actively reviewing both reports and staying engaged with our state and national leaders. While most of us are eager to return to normal business operations, as leaders we must balance the desire to return to work with the risk of a “rebound” of this deadly disease.
The best thing that all of us can do is to continue to practice good hygiene and follow the health guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19:
- Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer
- Avoid touching your face
- Practice social distancing
- Use face coverings while in public
- Stay home if you feel sick
We continue to make huge progress in our efforts to strengthen Mobile against the threat of Coronavirus.
This week we identified an emerging problem in our local nursing homes, and acted swiftly to provide test kits and protective equipment that will help them keep the virus in check.
We began testing a tremendous number of doctors, nurses and other front-line health care workers at our testing sites in Mobile. Our testing system is working flawlessly and the benefit to you is that our first responders - police, fire and medical professionals - are on the job and ready to take care of those in need.
Testing will increase next week, and we are working with our neighboring communities in Mobile and Baldwin counties to test their first responders as well.
One thing that gives me great comfort tonight is that our hospitals in Mobile are doing such an outstanding job. We are fortunate to have such a strong health care system in our community. Their confidence is high that they are up to the challenge and they won’t be overwhelmed by Coronavirus.
I am encouraged that we are ending the week stronger than we were when we entered it on Monday. We will continue to watch for signs that the virus has peaked, and make sure we are doing all we can to support our allies in the fight to defeat COVID-19.
While we hope to see case numbers peak and begin to decline over the week ahead, it’s still too soon to declare victory. Cases could spike if we move too abruptly, so we will be keeping close watch on the data over the coming days.
The peak is right before us. Please keep up the good work and I believe we will get through this together safely.
Sincerely,
Sandy Stimpson