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Mayors in Andalusia, Opp, Florala, Red Level, River Falls and Lockhart have agreed to impose curfews in their municipalities from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m., beginning Friday, April 10. The curfews will continue as long as deemed necessary.

The curfews are designed to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The mayors met in person and by phone on Monday.

“This sends a message that this is serious business,” Mayor Earl Johnson said. “A curfew is not designed to impede those who have a legitimate reason to be out, like traveling to or from work. But we simply cannot allow people to gather, as they have continued to do. When they do that, they are putting not only themselves at risk of catching the virus, but others around them, as well.”

The mayor expressed his appreciation to Opp Mayor Becky Bracke, Florala Mayor Terry Holley, Lockhart Mayor Eugene Birge, Red Level Mayor Willie Hendrix, and River Falls Mayor Patricia Gunter for joining the effort.

“I appreciate their cooperation,” he said. “I think it is important that we are unified in this effort.”

The City of Andalusia has announced it will furlough more than a third of its employees, effective Monday, April 13.

Mayor Earl Johnson personally communicated the news to employees in meetings on Thursday and Friday, April 2 and 3, to give them time to prepare for the changes.

“As we deal with the effects of the pandemic on the national, state and local economies, we have had to make some difficult decisions for the City of Andalusia,” Mayor Earl Johnson said Friday. “We are reducing some of the services the city provides and furloughing more than a third of our employees.”

The changes do not affect police protection, fire protection or sanitation (garbage) services, the mayor said.

However, trash pick-up (limbs and other yard debris) will not be done weekly. Instead, Director of Public Works Glynn Ralls said, residents can expect to have limbs and other debris picked up every two to three weeks. He also asks that residents separate limbs and other yard clippings from other debris like mattresses. Ralls said that the city also will suspend curbside recycling after collections on Thursday, April 9.

Beginning April 7, the city’s landfill will be temporarily closed to the public.

The city’s Nutrition Center will continue to provide meals to the senior population.

The city’s library, adult activity center and parks have been closed for several weeks, which reduces the work loads of many employees, the mayor said.

“The city’s primary source of income is sales taxes, which will be significantly reduced while the majority of our local businesses are closed,” Johnson said. “We have an obligation to our citizens to manage city services as tightly as possible to ensure that we can operate throughout the economic crisis created by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“I have assured those employees affected that it is our intent to recall them as soon as the economy begins to recover,” he said. “They are not just employees, they are family.”

The CARES package approved by Congress and signed into law by the president increases unemployment benefits to those employees who are displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is not a decision we made lightly,” the mayor said. “Our decisions were shaped in part by the knowledge that our employees are eligible for benefits through the CARES Act.”

The mayor said that all Americans are being asked to make sacrifices.

“If we think back in the history of the United States, we have asked American citizens to do difficult things,” he said. “During World War II, those who stayed at home made tremendous sacrifices to support the war effort. As a result of this pandemic, we are asking Americans to make big sacrifices again. Some in our city family will sacrifice by dealing with a furlough, while others will be called upon to take on additional responsibilities.”

Andalusia Utilities has a new online payment portal that went live on Wednesday.

The new portal has been in development for several months, Utilities Office Manager Cathy Alexander said. The new portal is more secure and provides better tools for managing utilities accounts.

Those who are accustomed to using the previous portal will need to create a new account, but may use the same credentials as in the previous portal.

To create the account, customers will need three things: their utilities account number, the amount of their most recent bill; and the telephone number on file for the account. After entering the information, the customer will receive an email. Once that email is open and the customer clicks through the link provided, the customer account will be activated.

To access the portal, go to the City of Andalusia web site, choose Utilities, then Administrative, then click on "Make a Payment." Alternately, go directly to https://utilitypayment.cityofandalusia.com/mscp/auth/login.

At present, the Utilities Office, which is located in Andalusia City Hall, is closed to the public in observation of social distancing. Alexander reminds customers that payments can be made by phone, by mail, at the drive-through window, the drop box, or by bank draft.

“We appreciate our customers working with us to transition to this new system,” Alexander said. “If you have any difficulties with the new portal, please call our office at (334) 222-1332.”

Andalusia City Schools is consolidating its meal pick-up events for students beginning on Monday, April 6.

Pick-up will be moved to once-a-week at Andalusia Elementary School, Child Nutrition Coordinator Shan Burkhardt said.

“We’ve been having pick-ups at five different sites,” she said. “Moving the pick-up to Andalusia Elementary will allow us to provide some hot meals.”

Drive-through pick-up times will be from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. each Monday until the end of the school year, she said. Parents should follow the yellow zone traffic flow for pick-ups.

On Mondays, students will receive a hot breakfast and a hot lunch. In addition, each student will receive four cold breakfasts, four cold lunches, and a half gallon of milk.

“We’re trying to make this as easy as possible, and to give families what they need,” Burkhardt said.

There is no charge for the meals, and all students ages 18 and under are eligible, regardless of where they attend school. Anyone with questions can contact the Andalusia City Schools central office at 334-222-3186.

Earlier today, the Alabama Department of Public Health confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in a resident of Covington County.

Covington County Emergency Management Director Susan Harris said protocols are in place to make sure that those who have been in contact with the patient are contacted.

“Once a positive test is confirmed, the agency has four hours to provide that information to the Alabama Department of Public Health,” she said. “The person will be ordered to quarantine. The ADPH investigative team then makes contact with the patient to determine who he or she has been in contact with. Those people will be notified and advised to self-quarantine.”

The news came just after Gov. Kay Ivey extended her order closing additional non-essential businesses, effective at 5 p.m. Saturday, like entertainment venues, athletic facilities and activities, “close-contact” service establishments, and non-essential retail stores closed until April 17.

Mayor Earl Johnson encouraged local residents to remain calm and follow the precautions issued by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

“We now better understand their recommendations for social distancing,” Mayor Johnson said. “The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.

“Secondly, wash your hands often, especially after you have been in a public place,” he said. “Continue to put distance between yourselves and other people, and avoid close contact with people who are sick.”

Johnson acknowledged that the uncertainness of these times is stressful.

“We know that people are worried about themselves, their families, and their livelihoods, and we are, too,” he said. “But we also know that we are a community that cares for each other. The most important thing we can do to care for each other right now is to help stop the spread by social distancing, and by cleaning and sanitizing. We will be about the business of lifting each other up when we get to the other side of this.

“We will continue to make information available as it becomes available to us,” the mayor said.

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