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As COVID-19 cases climb in Montgomery and across Alabama, Mayor Steven Reed and state health worker Dr. Scott Harris today spoke in the capital to urge people to watch out for Thanksgiving gatherings that could accelerate this trend.
Reed launched what he described as a call to action to avoid the need for new restrictions that could hurt businesses and affect jobs. The mayor said members of the Montgomery medical community say the increase in cases in recent weeks has not reached the crisis point the city experienced with hospital capacity last spring and that the target is to prevent that from happening.
“So we thought it would be wise for us to come to the front of the community just to remind everyone as we go into the holidays that we are still in the middle of a pandemic,” Reed said. “And there are things we’re going to have to do even though there’s a lot of COVID fatigue out there. We are ready to go back to our normal way of doing things. We can’t do it yet. “
Reed said that means wearing masks, avoiding large gatherings and taking other measures that have been shown to be effective in limiting the spread of the virus.
“What we want to avoid are some of the things that we were faced with about six months ago,” Reed said. “And I think if we’re proactive in our approach and remember that we’re still in this pandemic, we can mitigate that somewhat.
The mayor said Montgomery had nearly 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus in November and was set to rise 23% for the month. Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise across Alabama and in many states. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported on Sunday that the state’s 7-day average for new cases of the virus surpassed 2,000 for the first time, breaking the record set in July.
Harris said the rise in recent weeks followed declines after the statewide mask order was ordered in mid-July and a plateau period that lasted until the fall.
“I think there are a lot of possible explanations for what’s going on, but the only big explanation is that people are getting together a little bit more in groups,” Harris said. “People tend to go back to their normal activities. Everyone is really tired of COVID and so am I, and COVID fatigue is a reality.
“But we really want to encourage people to be on their toes. Remember we have a light at the end of the tunnel. We have vaccines that will be available soon. In the next few months, we hope to have a vaccine for everyone, not immediately, but soon.
The ADPH said the coronavirus vaccine could be available as early as mid-December for healthcare providers and people with chronic illnesses. But the vaccines are not expected to be widely available until next year.
“We think we’ll have it in small amounts very soon, but that won’t be the end of the story when we give the first dose,” Harris said. “We’re still going to have a long way to go before we have enough vaccines to cover everyone. Again, let me encourage everyone to stay alert. Please be careful not to mix with other people. Think about the people you care about most and do all you can to protect them. “
Reed said he didn’t want people to be lulled into news that the first doses of the vaccine might be in a month or two.
“We have to make sure we don’t fall into a comfort zone thinking we’re going to get out of it by Christmas or any other bogus deadline,” the mayor said. “As we said before, the virus will tell us when this is over. We cannot set our own deadline by which we would like it to be over. I think we all wish it had been a long time ago.
“So, we are in this space. And we just wanted to bring that back to everyone’s attention to keep that in mind. So that, whether at the local or state level, we don’t have to take urgent measures that can impact our economy, that can impact jobs and businesses.
Harris called for caution about the risk family reunions can present to older parents.
“One thing about vacations is that they tend to bring people together from a lot of different places,” Harris. “It tends to bring together many generations. And don’t forget that our elders, my parents or your parents or your grandparents, these are people who are particularly at risk of not doing well with COVID-19. And we want to encourage everyone, think of these people if or when you get together. “
Harris suggested that people planning to attend family gatherings isolate themselves for a few days beforehand and consider getting tested for the virus if that is an option. He also suggested minimizing time for gatherings, holding events outside if the weather permits, and wearing masks when you’re not eating and drinking.
“The bottom line is we know that at least a third of people with COVID-19 don’t know they’re sick and yet they can infect other people just by talking to them, just hugging them , just being in the same room and breathing the same air as the people around them, ”Harris said. This is why masks are so important and this is why maintaining this distance is so important. “
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