Governor announces closure of ‘non-essential’ businesses until April 17

Published 1:04 pm Friday, March 27, 2020

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FROM STAFF REPORTS

MONTGOMERY – Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday, March 27, announced a “Safer at Home” order that includes the closure of a list of businesses deemed “non-essential” until April 17.

“COVID-19 is a global crisis,” Ivey wrote on her Facebook page in announcing the order. “There’s just no owner’s manual on how to do this. This will be hard, but I’m more confident than ever that we’ll get through this together. Rather than shutting the entire state down, I propose a different solution.”

Effective at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, all non-work related gatherings of 10 or more people, and non-work related gatherings of any size that cannot maintain a 6-foot distance between people are prohibited.

Also effective at 5 p.m. on March 28, the following “non-essential businesses, venues and activities are closed to non-employees:

  • Entertainment venues: night clubs, bowling alleys, arcades, concert venues, theaters, auditoriums, performing arts centers, tourist attractions, racetracks, indoor children’s play areas, adult entertainment venues, casinos, bingo halls and venues operated by social clubs.
  • Athletic facilities and activities: fitness centers and commercial gyms, spas, public or commercial swimming pools, yoga, barre and spin facilities, spectator sports, sports that involve interaction with another person of closer than 6 feet, activities that require use of shared sporting apparatus and equipment, and activities on commercial or public playground equipment.
  • Close-contact service providers: barber shops, hair salons, waxing salons, threading salons, nail salons and spas, body art facilities and tattoo services, tanning salons and massage therapy establishments and massage services.
  • Retail stores: furniture and home furnishings stores, clothing, shoe and clothing accessory stores, jewelry, luggage and leather goods stores, department stores, sporting goods stores, book, craft and music stores.