On Monday morning, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox announced a new executive order would be enacted closing bars and bar service in restaurants from Monday at 5 p.m. until Sept. 8.
"If we fail to act with the courage of our convictions DCH (Druid City Hospital) will be stretched beyond it’s capacity in four to six weeks,” Maddox said. “If we do nothing UA will be forced to go to virtual classes and the consequences will be harsh and long lasting.”
Maddox said that the University of Alabama has $2 billion impact on the Tuscaloosa metro area and provides thousands of jobs to local residents.
The executive order was announced as part of a joint press conference with Alabama president Stuart Bell. Although Alabama football wasn’t a part of the conversation it’s obvious that the fate of the Crimson Tide’s season is intermingled closely with the status of both Tuscaloosa and the larger student population.
Many speculate that the SEC season will not proceed as planned if universities are forced to send students home for virtual instruction.
Ricky Friend, the dean of Alabama’s community health and sciences college, said the UA systems office would be releasing numbers later today illustrating why the university has expressed concern since the semester began on Wednesday.
“We believe we have a limited opportunity to try and cut up the trajectory of the student positivity that we are seeing,” Friend said. “...This will allow UA to continue it’s in-person classes and avoid more economic pain and suffering for our community partners long term.”
Friend also said that Alabama has identified geographic locations that the university will focus on all week.
Despite, writing a letter addressed largely toward the student population on Sunday, Bell said he’s proud of Alabama students.
"Our challenge is not the students,” Bell said. “Our challenge is the virus, and there’s a difference folks. What we have to do is identify where does the virus thrive, where does the virus spread.”
Bell said Alabama has always planned to be nimble with its response to COVID-19 and would have to continue to do so in the future.
“I think a question we all want to know is are we at the breaking point, what’s the level that is going to cause us to have to change,” Bell said. “And basically I think it all goes back to flattening this curve so we are able to accommodate our current operations with the students and make sure we are able to keep the students healthy.”
