MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama health officials urged people to avoid large gatherings over the holiday weekend amid a record-setting surge in COVID-19 cases.
“Please stay home,” State Health Officer Scott Harris said, noting that New Year’s Eve gatherings are particularly worrisome because they tend to be crowded indoor gatherings and often involve drinking.
“We understand that people are tired and they want to get out and they want to do things and that is perfectly understandable, but it’s just not a good idea,” Harris said.
Since the pandemic began, the state has had more than 360,000 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19.
On Friday, Alabama set a new record for the number of people in state hospitals - 2,815 across the state. The number jumped by about 1,000 people during the month of December.
Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, this week cautioned that Alabama is “not in a good place” with virus numbers.
“It’s the end of the holidays. Lots of exposure; lots of travel; lots of opportunity for transmission,” Marrazzo said.
Marrazzo said she has lost patience with people who continue to dispute the need for masks.
“Honestly, my tolerance and the tolerance of many of my colleagues for these kind of falsehoods and misinformation is really going down. If you are saying this at this point, you are denying the reality of the 3,700 who have died of this infection. And, honestly, that just makes me angry and sad,” she said.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin announced Wednesday that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He said his symptoms are mild.
“Remember, everyone: COVID-19 is real. Please be safe and protect yourselves and your loved ones this holiday weekend,” Woodfin wrote in a tweet.
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