Health & Fitness
Masks Mandatory In Birmingham Municipal Buildings
As Alabama becomes the nation's leader in new COVID-19 cases, the City of Birmingham is taking action on masks.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — As Alabama now leads the nation in percentage of COVID-19 infections, the City of Birmingham announced Thursday it now requires all visitors and municipal employees to wear face masks or face coverings while in city-owned venues.
A statement by the City of Birmingham Thursday said the mask requirement is effective immediately.
Per Mayor @randallwoodfin and effective immediately, face coverings will be required for all employees and all visitors to city owned-venues. Please note this applies to but is not limited to City Hall, police precincts, libraries, rec centers, venues, etc. pic.twitter.com/3Cji9EtGb8
— City of Birmingham (@cityofbhamal) July 29, 2021
The University of Alabama at Birmingham announced that masks will be required indoors throughout its campus, starting Thursday as well.
Find out what's happening in Birminghamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows Alabama’s rate of positive PCR tests - the most accurate type of COVID test available - was 18.5 percent, the highest percentage of any state in the country.
Alabama has consistently lagged behind the rest of the country in vaccination rates since the vaccine was introduced. As of Thursday, just 34.2 percent of eligible Alabamians have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
Find out what's happening in Birminghamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state grew to more than 1,900 Thursday, an increase of more than 500 percent since July 1. Hospitalizations rose to nearly 1,200.
State health director Dr. Scott Harris said in a news conference Tuesday that the rate at which cases are now developing is "unprecedented."
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