Mountain Brook was one of first Alabama cities to impose strict social distancing in COVID-19 fight
A man walks his dog down the middle of Culver Road in Mountain Brook Village on a sunny weekday afternoon, past shuttered shops and open parking spaces. Nearby, Jemison Trail is busy but walkers and runners stay several feet apart. Morning and mid-afternoon carpool traffic is nonexistent citywide.
Mountain Brook is several weeks into emergency restrictions that have closed city schools and public buildings, padlocked parks, limited gatherings to 10 people and later barred businesses that are not deemed “essential” from opening to the public.
When Mayor Stewart Welch issued an emergency declaration March 16, Mountain Brook became one of the first cities in Alabama to impose strict social distancing rules to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
“What we’re doing is out of an abundance of caution,” Welch said during the specially-called City Council meeting that night to ratify the orders. “We want to protect our residents and limit contact inside the workplace and outside the workplace.”
Health officials consider social distancing— staying 6 feet apart and limiting group sizes— and frequent hand-washing to be the best ways to reduce the rate at which the virus is spread.
The city’s directive went even further in restricting how many people could congregate than an order issued that same day by Mark Wilson, the Jefferson County Health Officer. Wilson later adapted the 10-person limit for the entire county.
The city’s emergency declaration did not set an end date, but cited the March 13 national emergency declaration by President Donald Trump as an inspiration for the city’s action.
Federal restrictions were later extended through April 30. At press time, there was no word yet whether these restrictions would be extended. The city’s emergency declaration:
- Closed to the public all city buildings and facilities including restrooms. All city services must be accessed remotely, such as by telephone or online.
- Prohibited gatherings of 10 or more people.
- Closed Emmet O’Neal Public Library to the public, although online services continue.
- Closed the following city parks: Overton Park, Canterbury Park, Crestline Tot Lot, Cahaba River Walk (including the dog park). Entrances are to be padlocked when possible.
- Closed all city sports fields and athletic complexes, specifically Mountain Brook Elementary, Brookwood Forest, Crestline Elementary, Cherokee Bend Elementary, Mountain Brook Junior High School and Mountain Brook High School. (City school buildings are closed to the public under a state edict.)
- Suspended rentals at the Cahaba River Walk and Overton Park pavilions.
- Closed city fire stations to all non-emergency traffic, including family members. All non-emergency services from the city fire department, such as CPR classes and car seat installation, were suspended.
- Halted non-essential business travel by city employees and discouraged personal travel. Employees must report any contact that could expose them to COVID-19.
The city’s walking trails — Jemison Park, Watkins Trail, Nature Trail, Irondale Furnace Trail and the Mountain Book Presbyterian Church Trail — remain open, but people should maintain a safe distance. Maintenance on the trail, however, is limited.
In early March, a Mountain Brook resident became one of the first confirmed coronavirus cases in Alabama. By the end of that month, hundreds of cases had been confirmed in Jefferson County and more than 3,800 statewide.
Dining rooms at city restaurants have been closed since mid-March. Restaurants have put up temporary signs saying they’re offering curbside service or advertising the delivery services they use.
City schools and on-site learning is shutdown for the rest of the school year. After a state emergency order closing facilities lapsed, city schools started e-learning classes April 6.
On March 23, Wilson ordered a broad list of “non-essential” businesses to close to the public, including retail stores, hair stylists, exercise facilities and florists. Curbside deliveries from retailers and boutique shops are allowed, when possible.
The order also banned sports requiring contact and the use of shared sporting equipment was prohibited. On a recent afternoon, foursomes were abundant at local private country clubs, but golfers had to walk instead of using carts.
As part of the city’s emergency declaration, the Mountain Brook Fire Department set up an extra unit to exclusively handle coronavirus calls, reserving the other units for other emergency calls to limit potential exposure for the overall force.
The city and county emergency orders, and information about dealing with the coronavirus and other COVID-19 updates, can be found on the city website, mtnbrook.org, in the announcements section. A list of testing sites and operating hours also is available there.