In north Alabama, business and political leaders on the local Getting Alabama Back 2 Work Task Force are calling on Gov. Kay Ivey to immediately rescind her stay-at-home order and reopen the state economy.

In west Alabama, leaders want a “measured plan" on opening up business, with the lion’s share pushing for a May 1 reopening of the economy.

In southwest Alabama, where tourism is a main staple of the economy, May 1 is also the preferred date to begin reopening businesses and beaches.

Other areas of the state haven’t given a suggested reopening date, instead making recommendations on what measures and policies need to be in place before Alabama’s economy comes back.

Those are the results from Alabama’s seven congressional districts tasked with submitting recommendations to the governor on how best to get businesses up and running again. The task forces, led by the seven Alabama U.S. House members, had a Wednesday deadline for reporting back to Ivey.

U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, who led the 5th Congressional District’s task force, said the 14-member committee comprised of doctors, business leaders and elected officials voted 10-4 suggesting that Ivey’s stay-at-home order expire on its last day of April 30 while the committee recommended the order expire immediately by a 10-0 margin.

“Alabama has two options. We can live under government dictate, where a burgeoning nanny state regulates, ‘for our own good, because we are not smart enough to know better’, the minutiae of our lives (even to the point of dictating when we can visit our children, grandchildren, parents and siblings, and how far apart we must be when we do so). Or we can have a government that is a partner and adviser, that gives its best advice but defers to citizens the liberty and freedom of making their own decisions on how to best balance the conflict between COVID-19 safety and the income needed to support family life," Brooks said in a statement Monday night after submitting his committee’s recommendations. "I am proud that, in the Tennessee Valley, our Advisory Committee members chose to respect liberty, freedom, and the right of individual citizens to do what they believe is best to protect and promote their own lives.”

In a 13-1 vote, the committee suggested only the provision of the order requiring anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 self-quarantine for 14 days stay in effect. In separate 12-0 votes, the task force recommended the state promote telehealth and telemedicine and put some protections in place for working Alabamians at high risk of acquiring COVID-19, such as encouraging them to work from home, loosening sick pay restrictions and modify their unemployment benefits.

U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Hayleyville, who led the 4th Congressional District’s task force, had the 24 chambers of commerce in his district distribute surveys to businesses about the best time and way to reopen the economy, and that 64 percent of the roughly 400 respondents said the state was ready to get back to work by May 1.

The lion’s share -- 35 percent -- of respondents said a May 1 reopening of the economy would be ideal, according to Aderholt. Another 29 percent supported an immediate reopening of the economy while 7 percent suggested June 1 and 20 percent chose “other.”

“In conclusion, the overall message we are getting from the people of the Fourth District is that we cannot stay closed indefinitely, but at the same time, we cannot open the economy all at once,” Aderholt said in his recommendation to the governor. “There needs to be a measured plan to open things up in phases to ensure that businesses are acting responsibly, and their customers are protected as much as possible. My recommendation is to follow the federal guidelines, which calls for a two week decline in new cases; for our hospitals to be able to operate on a non-crisis basis and a robust testing program for at-risk healthcare workers as well as antibody testing. Additionally, I feel that the state, where appropriate, should work on a regional or county basis to modify these criteria to fit the local circumstances. After all, what will work for Tuscaloosa County may not work for DeKalb County.”

Aderholt appointed 13 people from various industries to be a part of the task force, and he said a number of members were concerned about the lack of antibody testing and that there may not be enough personal protective equipment or hand sanitizer to meet demand.

Other concerns included employees’ reluctance to go back to work either because of worries of contracting COVID-19 or lack of childcare or daycare.

A hospital administrator on the committee suggested that elective procedures no longer be banned “because the current restrictions have drastically reduced their income" while their hospital is treating "few, if any, COVID-19 patients.

The task force also recommended Ivey create a program to help small businesses to transition to e-commerce in case future stay-at-home orders are issued.

U.S. Rep. Bradley Bryne, R-Fairhope, who submitted the 1st Congressional District’s recommendations to the governor on Wednesday, suggested that businesses reopen May 1 with safety measures like social distancing and the use of personal protective equipment.

In a conference call with reporters, Byrne said it’s a false choice to consider whether to reopen the economy or protect residents’ health.

“It’s not either/or,” he said. “There is a way for us to do this so you can have both.”

The report from Byrne’s task force called for a May 1 reopening of beaches, restaurants, retail and personal services like barbershops and salons.

My recommendation is that businesses, restaurants, and our beaches reopen beginning May 1. It is important businesses have time to make the necessary modifications in order to safely reopen under the new public health guidelines. pic.twitter.com/egHrH0MkAo — Rep. Bradley Byrne (@RepByrne) April 22, 2020

But the report also said beaches should be limited to no more than groups of 10 separated at least 6-feet apart with law enforcement overseeing that those rules are followed. And the 6-feet rule would also need to be followed in restaurants, who would also have to abide by table maximums.

Other districts didn’t put a timeline on when Alabama’s economy should reopen.

Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, who headed the 2nd Congressional District’s task force, said there needs to be more personal protective equipment and testing capacity before businesses can open their doors.

She suggested that reopenings should be done on a county-by-county basis, and that counties with little or no coronavirus cases should open sooner than others. Also, there should be a decrease in cases for 14 days before the reopening of the economy.

Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, who represented the 6th Congressional District’s task force, said businesses in the district “are prepared and ready to reopen, with access to the personal protective equipment for their employees, the sanitation supplies needed to keep workspaces clean and with appropriate guidance in a cooperative atmosphere with state and local governments.”

Among the concerns district businesses have, according to Palmer, were that the $600 extra a week in unemployment benefits provided under the stimulus package is incentivizing employees not to return to work.

“This has unfortunately become an ‘unemployment bonus’ that is prompting individuals to leave their jobs even though they have not been furloughed,” the congressman said, adding that businesses told him that even employees who have not been laid off have applied and been granted unemployment.

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, who headed the 3rd Congressional District’s committee, said that whenever Ivey plans to reopen the economy, the policy must have the confidence of the public.

“Consumer confidence is paramount for businesses to be successful. Consumers are smart and will determine where they want and feel safe to shop. Business owners are smart and will compete for the consumer’s trust. The public must have confidence that the policies from the state to reopen the economy are in their best interest,” he said.

Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, who led the 7th Congressional District’s task force, said a reopening cannot take place until cases have declined for 14 consecutive days while also providing adequate personal protective equipment and increased accessed to testing. She noted that a reopening could not happen soon as hospitalizations, cases and deaths are trending upward.

“I am as eager as anyone to reopen our state’s economy and get Alabamians back to work,” she said. “However, we must make sure that we do so safely, responsibly, and strategically. Public health must remain our top priority.”