Mask mandate to end April 9

Published 12:19 pm Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Alabama’s governor Kay Ivey spoke on Monday saying the state’s mask mandate will end April 9 — despite a request from President Joe Biden to reinstate, or maintain mask restrictions.

According to Gina Maiola, a spokeswoman for Ivey, the governor will stand by her decision to lift the mask mandate in the state.

“As Governor Ivey has previously stated, Alabama’s mask mandate ends April 9,” Maiola said. “We have made progress, and we are moving towards personal responsibility and common sense, not endless government mandates.”

Maiola issued the comment after the White House asked states to maintain restrictions. President Joe Biden and a top health official on Monday appealed for mask requirements and other restrictions to be maintained or restored to stave off a “fourth surge” of COVID-19.

Alabama has kept a mask mandate in place longer than surrounding states, but Ivey has made clear it will not be extended.

The governor has urged Alabamians to keep wearing them as a matter of personal responsibility.

“After April 9, masks will no longer be a mandate, but they remain one of the most successful tools we have to keep folks safe from COVID-19,” Ivey said last week.

Ivey’s office released sign templates that businesses could use to request their patrons wear masks.