MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) -- Gov. Kay Ivey is expected to allow the Alabama mask mandate to expire Friday, as planned. She is expected to confirm her decision in a COVID-19 briefing for Alabama Wednesday morning.
The press conference is expected to start around 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Alabama State Capitol. Ivey will be joined by Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, the state’s vaccination efforts moving forward, and the soon-to-expire mask mandate.
During a press conference in late March, the governor said the mask mandate would not extend past April 9. However, she has urged the public to continue to wear facial coverings in public even after the mask requirement is lifted.
“After April 9, masks will no longer be a mandate, but they remain one of the most successful tools we have to keep folks safe from COVID-19,” Ivey said on March 31. Alabama has maintained a mask mandate longer than surrounding states, but Ivey has made it clear it will not be extended past Friday.
This update also comes the same week that the state has expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all Alabamians ages 16 and up. The Pfizer vaccine is available to individuals age 16 and up, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are both available to individuals 18 years of age and older.
“This vaccine is our ticket back to normal,” Ivey said. “We’re so close to getting this in the rearview mirror.”
As of Wednesday, over 2.9 million doses had been delivered to Alabama while nearly 1.9 million had been administered statewide.
Watch the full press conference in the video player above.
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