Photo by Dan Starnes
200313_coronavirus
A worker helps test somebody for COVID-19, a novel coronavirus, at Assurance Health in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Friday, March 13.
Restaurants and bars in Mountain Brook will be closed to on-site patrons for at least a week, most city parks and buildings will be off-limits and public gatherings must be limited to 10 people under an emergency order declared Monday by Mayor Stewart Welch in response to the spread of the Coronavirus, COVID-19.
“What we’re doing is out of an abundance of caution,” Welch said during a called City Council meeting this afternoon as Mountain Brook became the latest local government declaring a health emergency over the contagion. “We want to protect our residents and limit contact inside the workplace and outside the workplace.”
The mayor’s declaration, which also closes the Emmet O’Neal Library to the public, is designed to slow the spread of the highly contagious disease, city officials said.
Through late afternoon, Alabama had 29 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus including 17 in Jefferson County, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.
“We have learned that there are multiple confirmed cases of the virus in our community,” city school superintendent Dicky Barlow wrote in a letter to parents when announcing over the weekend that school facilities and offices would be closed through April 5.
Starting Tuesday, restaurants in Mountain Brook only can provide curbside service or offer to-go orders. Jefferson County Health Officer Mark Wilson imposed a similar restriction this afternoon, effective through March 24.
The emergency declaration in Mountain Brook also:
- Closes sports fields at all city schools and public restrooms until further notice.
- Bans visitors to any city building or facility. Mountain Brook will maintain as many services as possible remotely by phone, computer or fax.
- Closes and padlocks the following city parks: Overton Park, Canterbury Park, Crestline Tot-Lot, the Cahaba River Walk including the dog park, and the Athletic Complex. Rentals of the Cahaba River Walk and Overton Park Pavilions are suspended.
- These city trails will remain open: Jemison Trail, Watkins Trail, Nature Trail, Irondale Furnace Trail and Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church Trail, but maintenance will be limited.
- Allows online library services while it is closed to the public.
The Mountain Brook Fire Department has set up a unit to exclusively handle potential Coronavirus calls in an effort to limit exposure to first responders. Otherwise fire and police stations are closed to the public and all non-emergency services such as car seat installations will halt.
Residents who believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19 should first call their personal physician or an emergency room for guidance. Only call 911 as a last resort.
City employees must get management approval for government-related travel. Personal travel is highly discouraged and could result in a mandatory quarantine upon return. Sick employees should stay home.
Health officials warn the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases will double every two days at first, now that testing is becoming more widespread. More restrictions or extensions are possible in the coming days and weeks.
“This situation is very fluid,” Welch said.
At this point, the council still plans to hold its next twice-monthly meeting, set for March 23. But cancellations and postponements already have begun, including the Chamber of Commerce luncheon that was planned for Thursday.
Updates will be posted here, on the city website and city social media.
