Mobile County Health Officer Dr. Bernard Eichold II has issued orders shutting down on-premise consumption at all restaurants, bars, breweries and most other food service establishments for the next week, starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The order also prohibits visitors and non-essential health care personnel at nursing homes and long-term care facilities and requires senior centers to close to all gatherings.

“In order to prevent what is happening in Birmingham, we are issuing these orders,” Eichold said in a health department statement, in reference to Jefferson County having almost two dozen positive test results as of Wednesday morning. “We have no confirmed cases in Mobile County, so we want to make every effort to protect our residents. We want to work against this very aggressive virus from being established in our county.”

Eichold’s order says that “any restaurant, bar, brewery or Priority Category 3 food service establishment shall not permit on-premises consumption of food or drink for one week. This order shall be revaluated prior to the end of one week for possible modification.”

Alabama rules define a “Priority Category 3 establishment" as one that fits the following criteria: (i) a food establishment where unpackaged raw food from an animal source is handled, prepared, or used; or (ii) potentially hazardous food that is not ready-to-eat is cooked or further prepared to eliminate or reduce pathogens; or (iii) customer contact utensils are reused, or food is cooled, or food previously cooled in the establishment is reheated.

Such establishments may continue to offer take-out and delivery service, provided they stick to social distancing protocols requiring a consistent six-foot distance between people. Affected businesses are “strongly encouraged” to offer online ordering and curbside pick-up.

Hospital food service areas are excluded from the order, provided they have their own social distancing plans.

All nursing home/long-term care facilities “shall prohibit visitation of all visitors and non-essential health care personnel, except for certain compassionate care situations such as end of life.”

While senior centers should be closed to gatherings, centers and partner agencies “are urged to assure that their clients continue to receive needed meals via curbside pick-up or delivery.”

“I apologize for any inconvenience this causes,” Dr. Eichold said in the health department release. “This is a similar order to what was issued for Jefferson, Blount, St. Clair, Shelby, Tuscaloosa and Walker counties. Even though we have not had a case here, we need to do this to stay ahead of the virus.”