Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and the City Council extended its shelter in place order to April 30.

The ordinance, approved on March 24, ordered residents to stay home unless they had to leave to get essential items or services like going to the grocery store, going to the doctor, exercising or buying groceries.

“Hunker down in month of April. Be intentional and enforce social distancing guidelines," Woodfin said during the Friday morning council meeting. "If we tiptoe around this and try to skirt around what the ordinance is attempting to do, the longer we’re going to be in this. I hope our residents choose the first choice.”

The extension of the order is effective immediately.

“Nothing changes today beyond the ordinance that has been in place for more than a week. But the spread of COVID-19 in Alabama and in our city demands that we all take this very seriously. People vulnerable to the most serious effects of the COVID-19 disease must remain at home, unless seeking medical treatment. Each of us has a responsibility and a duty to our families, our neighbors and our communities to do what we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” Woodfin said.

Woodfin said city parks would be closed if residents don’t comply with shelter-in-place orders. The ordinance allows residents to go to city parks to exercise, but anything else is forbidden. Those exercising must stay 6 feet away from one another, even if they are family or live in the same household.

“If people can’t police themselves, we’ll have to move to totally shut down our parks. If residents cannot comply with the shelter in place order, that will be the next step," he said.

Big box stores are considered “essential businesses,” he said. However, police have authority to enforce social distancing orders at these stores. Woodfin told people who see large gatherings happening in small places or at stores to call the Jefferson County Department of Health or the Birmingham Police.

Council voted unanimously approved extending shelter in place. Read the ordinance amendment here:

There are now more than 1,300 coronavirus cases in Alabama with more than 300 cases in Jefferson County.

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