The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs is temporarily restricting public access to county veteran service offices from March 16 to April 6 due to concerns about coronavirus.

The department released this statement:

The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) will temporarily restrict public access to the state’s county veteran service offices from March 16 to April 6 as a precautionary measure to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. The ADVA will continue operating the county veteran service offices with essential staff to provide ongoing services to veterans, their family members, and caregivers. The county offices will offer services via telephone, facsimile, and other means of communication such as email and texting.

On Friday, the ADVA announced a change to its visitation policy at the state’s four veterans homes, which temporarily restricts routine visitations to medically-necessary visits by outside healthcare personnel and/or visits by family members to terminally ill residents in their final days. Routine visits by non-employees, to include work conducted by volunteers, have been temporarily suspended at the homes.

ADVA Commissioner Kent Davis said the department’s policy for restricted visitation at the state’s veterans homes and preventive measures taken by the county veteran service offices is in the best interest of the public’s health and well-being.

More information about ADVA’s response to the COVID-19 crisis is posted to the department’s website at www.va.alabama.gov.