Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Coronavirus Press Conference
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato speaks to the media during a press conference at Hoover City Hall amid the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, March 16, 2020. Photo by Erin Nelson
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato on Saturday encouraged residents to abide by the state health officer’s stay-at-home order issued Friday to prevent spread of the COVID-19 disease.
Brocato said Hoover police will be enforcing the state order, just as they have the previous orders by the state and Jefferson County health officers, but authorities don’t intend to be heavy-handed.
“We’re very serious about it, and our police officers will be enforcing that,” the mayor said.
The latest order is not much different than previous orders issued, he said. “This just gives it more teeth. It makes it stronger, and the best thing about it is that it’s statewide. There’s no way this would work if one city does it and another doesn’t.”
The new order requires people to stay at home unless they are traveling to perform “essential activities,” such as going to a legally defined “essential” job, going to get food, medicine or other essential supplies, taking care of others or visiting a family member.
People still are allowed to get pick-up orders from restaurants, go to religious activities and outdoor activities, as long as there are 10 or fewer people involved and they are at least 6 feet apart. See the complete order here.
Hoover police officers and park rangers have been patrolling city parks and other places and, for the most part, people seem to be keeping their distance from one another, Brocato said. But when they are not obeying social distancing orders, officers are directing them to spread apart, and people are complying, he said.
The new state order also requires that “essential retailers” such as grocery stores, pharmacies and “big-box stores” keep maximum occupancy at no more than 50 percent of normal occupancy levels, and that such retailers must take steps to enforce 6-feet distances between shoppers.
Brocato said, even before Friday’s state order, Hoover officials had been in touch with essential store managers to make sure they are promoting social distancing.
“We’re following up, and we’re working hard to see how that’s going,” he said. “It’s just not all about enforcement. We have to be, as a society, responsible about what we do. There are not enough police officers in the world to make sure everybody is doing what they are supposed to do.”
But authorities can levy consequences for those who disobey. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said that violations of the Public Health Act are misdemeanors with a fine up to $500, and every day of violation is considered a new offense.
Brocato said people need to take the stay-at-home order seriously. “It likely is going to save lives,” he said. “I feel very good our citizens are going to step up and do what they are supposed to do.”
Brocato also emphasized that anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 is required to self-quarantine themselves completely for 14 days.
As of 6 p.m. Saturday, there have been 1,614 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alabama out of 10,829 people tested for the disease, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. There have been 212 people hospitalized because of the disease, 44 reported deaths believed to be related to COVID-19 and 26 deaths confirmed as being related to COVID-19, according to the state health department’s website.
That includes 373 confirmed cases, 9 reported deaths and zero confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Jefferson County and 124 confirmed cases, 5 reported deaths and 4 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Shelby County, according to the state website.
Brocato, in a video released Saturday, said he knows it’s hard for people to stay cooped up at home, especially when weather is nice, but it’s extremely important.
“According to the health experts, we still have a ways to go before this pandemic ends, and our doctors, our nurses, our first responders, our businesses and so many others are making sacrifices right now, so let’s all do our part to help combat this threat,” he said.
“There are still some difficult days ahead, but we are a community that meets our challenges head on,” Brocato said. “Let’s continue to honor what our health officials are telling us. Let’s not be scared. Let’s be smart. There is an end to this, and I believe we will all be even better when this is all over. Let’s all continue to make the sacrifices that we need to do now so that we can get to the end of this sooner rather than later.”
See the complete video released by the mayor below:
