An Alabama senator said he will sponsor a bill intended to give businesses immunity from liability for people who claim they caught the coronavirus on the business’s property.

Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said he would introduce the bill when the Senate returns from spring break.

The bill would say properly licensed businesses are not liable for injury, damages, or death suffered by a person because of “actual or alleged contraction of the coronavirus from another patron, an employee, or any individual while on the premises of the business entity.”

The immunity would be retroactive to March 1 of this year.

The immunity would not apply to any business that operated outside of any directive from the governor, Department of Public Health, local health departments, or state of emergency restrictions.

"These are unprecedented times,” Orr said in an email. “The national and Alabama economies are being crushed by COVID-19. Layoffs and furloughs are becoming a daily occurrence. Businesses are closing to the public out of fear, concern or government mandate.

“If a business chooses to remain open to the public in these desperate days, it is fearful of potential lawsuits based on COVID-19. This bill, providing immunity in most scenarios, seeks to address that fear. We should not let lawyers seek to profit on tenuous claims of infections that allegedly occur at Alabama businesses when patrons choose to be there on their own free will."

Orr said he thinks lawsuits based on claims of COVID-19 infection would fail in court, but said legal costs could force some businesses into making settlements of dubious claims.

“Businesses and commerce are the lifeblood of our economy," Orr said. "As such, helping keep companies open and employees working should be important to every Alabamian.”

The Senate is scheduled to resume the legislative session on March 31.

Gov. Kay Ivey and State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris issued a new statewide public health order today, prohibiting restaurants and bars from serving customers on premises and closing beaches.

Edited at 7:57 p.m. to delete words repeated in a quote.