Gov. Ivey closes schools March 19-April 5; coronavirus confirmed in Jefferson County

At the close of business on March 18, all K-12 public schools in Alabama will go on a 2 1/2-week break, by order of Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who on Friday afternoon declared a state of emergency due to the new coronavirus.

This break will cover the already-planned spring break week for Vestavia Hills City Schools, scheduled for March 23-27. The school’s director of public relations, Whit McGhee, said the system is still waiting on some guidance from the state on what to do in regard to instruction during the break.

Friday saw the state’s first confirmed case of coronavirus, originating from Montgomery County at Maxwell Air Force Base, state leaders said in a morning press conference. 

In an afternoon press conference, the state’s health officer, Dr. Scott Harris, announced there were four more cases, including one in Jefferson County, which involved an individual who had traveled internationally and gotten sick. That person is isolated, Harris said.

Alabama schools Superintendent Eric Mackey said that, during the break for schools, state school leaders will determine next steps, with a target date of students returning to school of April 6.

Because Ivey declared a state of emergency, those 12 days do not have to be made up, Mackey said. Mackey urged students and families to take this seriously and avoid large crowds.

All school athletic events from the close of school business on March 18 through April 5 have been canceled.

This decision does not impact private schools, Mackey said. 

On Friday, Birmingham-area residents waited to get tested for COVID-19, at Assurance Health, forming a long line on Acton Road.

The Vestavia Hills clinic has been approved to offer the tests to those who have been approved for testing by a healthcare physician or who get approved by a provider who will be at both the Vestavia location, 2868 Acton Road, as well as 727 Memorial Drive in Bessemer.

“Due to the concern of exposure in clinics and waiting rooms, healthcare providers have expressed desire to send patients for off-site testing,” the company said in a news release. “Once we receive a patient sample, it will be processed and results available within 4 hours. As of now, we have the capacity to run upwards of 10,000 patient samples per week with room for increased volume, as needed.”

Healthcare providers can order directly through the website, email or phone. 

“I’m proud of the tireless effort our lab put into expediting the delivery of the COVID-19 testing. It was evident that our team was on a mission to do our part,” said Mary Beth Minyard, director of microbiology at Assurance. “I’m sure physicians across the state will be relieved there is now an Alabama-based commercial lab that can offer this rapid testing for their patients. No one wants this spreading any quicker than it already has."

Grocery stores and retailers in the Vestavia area were staying busy as customers purchased home essentials and food items.

Posts on social media showed shelves of toilet paper, hand soap, sanitizer and other cleaning items barren, while others said they noticed a shortage of food as well.

Shonda Faye, a Shipt shopper, said she noticed the Publix in Vestavia was out of bananas, bread, all potatoes, all onions, had one pack of chicken left, with just a few packs of beef.

Walgreens, according to one shopper, had just a few packs of toilet paper left, and the Walmart was also running low on toilet paper.

Flip-Flops and What Nots said they are experiencing a slowdown in foot traffic and shipment delays, while Linda Yeargan, the clinical director of Cahaba Valley Health Care at Cooper Green Hospital, said her clinic is being rationed by their suppliers on a number of items, including masks.

“If we run out of masks, we are out of business and cannot see patients,” Yeargan said.

Three of the largest churches in the city have canceled Sunday services: Vestavia Hills Baptist Church, Shades Mountain Baptist Church and Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church. 

The Vestavia Hills Police Department has suspended its fingerprinting services, while the rest of the city is closely observing all of the developments, said Cinnamon McCulley, the communications director for the city.

McCulley said the city does have a pandemic plan but there is no need to enact it at this point. The city is attaching signs to city buildings asking those showing symptoms of COVID-19 to stay away, and city employees have been told to stay home if they are sick.

The library is also monitoring the situation, and has canceled Family Night, which was set for Tuesday, March 17, due to the large number of attendees expected. The Jefferson County Department of Health has advised gatherings of 500 or more people to be canceled.

The Rebel Run event originally scheduled for Saturday, part of the RISE fundraiser for the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, has been canceled.