Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) said during a new conference on Thursday that she would not issue a shelter in place order that 21 other states have enacted to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
“Y’all, we are not Louisiana, we are not New York state, we are not California,” Ivey told a reporter who had asked about a potential order. “And right now is not the time to order people to shelter in place.”
The governor asserted that businesses need to stay open to provide food, medical supplies and jobs.
“We’ve got have all the materials that are needed to keep Alabamians working as much as we can,” she said.
Ivey’s comments echoed President Donald Trump’s insistence that people ought to go back to work to save the economy, even though medical experts have warned that doing so would put lives at risk.
Last week, Ivey had issued a “stay at home if possible” directive, which she defined as advisement for Alabamians to “limit interaction with people as much as you can.” She has also closed the state’s schools.
As of Friday morning, there are 538 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and three deaths in Alabama, per the state’s department of health.
Watch Ivey below:
