FEW OR NO ICU BEDS LEFT.
THE GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA SAYS HER
STATES NUMBERS ARE, QUOTE,
DEFINITELY TRENDING IN THE WRONG
DIRECTION.
JOINING US NOW HE INSTITUTED A
LOCAL REQUIREMENT OF HIS OWN
WEEKS AGO IN HIS CORNER OF THE
STATE.
I’M TALKING ABOUT THE MAYOR OF
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, STEVEN
REED.
MAYOR, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
EVEN IN YOUR STATE YOU
INSTITUTED THIS MASK REQUIREMENT
IN MONTGOMERY I BELIEVE ON JUNE
17th, AND IT’S VALID I BELIEVE
FOR A MONTH IF IT’S NOT RENEWED.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENED
SINCE THEN BUT YOU DID THAT
BECAUSE YOUR CITY COUNCIL FAILED
TO PASS SUCH A MEASURE THE NIGHT
BEFORE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND WHAT WE’VE SEEN SINCE THEN
HAS BEEN A CASE GROWTH RATE CUT
IN HALF.
SO WE’VE SEEN POSITIVE
STATISTICS AND DATA COMING FROM
OUR RESIDENTS WEARING MASKS AND
OUR BUSINESSES PARTNERING WITH
US TO ENFORCE THAT MASK
ORDINANCE.
AT THE STATE LEVEL WE’VE SEEN
THE SEVEN-DAY ROLLING AVERAGE BE
ABOUT FIVE TIMES WHAT IT WAS AT
THIS TIME IN JUNE.
SO EVEN THOUGH WE’RE INCREASING
STATEWIDE HERE IN MONTGOMERY
WE’RE STARTING TO SEE SOME
BETTER NUMBERS BECAUSE OF THE
MASK MANDATE WE PASSED BY
EXECUTIVE ORDER.
NOW ORB WERE CITY COUNCIL HAS
COME BACK TO PUT THAT INTO AN
ORDINANCE SO WE’RE HAPPY ABOUT
THAT.
AND NOW WITH THE GOVERNOR COMING
ONLINE WE’RE HAPPY TO HAVE THIS
GOING STATEWIDE, AND WE THINK
HAD THIS BEEN DONE MAYBE A BIT
SOONER WE’D BE IN A BETTER
POSITION THAN WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
>> SO YOU ACTUALLY SAW
REMARKABLE -- JUST TO GO BACK
BEFORE JUNE 17th YOU HAD HAD
SEEN REMARKABLE --
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAD SEEN OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS
GO UP EVERY MONTH PRIOR TO THIS
MONTH THAT WE COULD NOT SUSTAIN.
SINCE WE DECIDED TO ISSUE THE
EXECUTIVE ORDER WE’RE AT OUR
LOWEST LEVEL MONTH OVER MONTH
IPTERMS WE’VE BEEN WITH OUR
HOSPITALIZATIONS WITH COVID-19
THAN WE’VE BEEN SINCE SOME TIME
IN APRIL.
SO WE’VE SEEN SOME POSITIVE
DATA.
WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP IT GOING
AND MAKE SURE WE REMIND OUR
RESIDENTS WE HAVE TO STAY
VIGILANT, WE HAVE TO BE
DISCIPLINED ABOUT THIS AND WE
HAVE TO TRY TO MAKE THIS
SOMETHING INTO A GROUP EFFORT
THAT’S NOT JUST ABOUT ME.
IT IS ABOUT THOSE FRONT LINE
WORKERS.
IT IS ABOUT ALL THE ESSENTIAL
WORKERS REALLY HELPING OUR
ECONOMY CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THIS
PANDEMIC AND MAKE SURE THAT WE
ARE WILLING TO PUT OURSELVES
INTO SOMEWHAT, AND I SAY
SOMEWHAT OF AN UNCOMFORTABLE
POSITION BY WEARING A MASK.
BECAUSE IN THE GRAND SCHEME IT’S
REALLY NOT THAT MAJOR OF AN
ISSUE UNLESS YOU HAVE A
PRE-EXISTING CONDITION, WHICH
ALLOWS YOU TO BE EXCLUDED FROM
THE MANDATED MASK ORDINANCE THAT
WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
>> IT’S NOT THAT PHYSICALLY
UNCOMFORTABLE BUT IT IS
REPRESENTATIVE OF BUSINESSES
THAT WANT TO OPEN, PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO GET BACK TO WORK,
PARENTS WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT
THEIR KIDS AND WHAT THEY’RE
GOING TO DO AT THE END OF
SCHOOL.
SO IT BECOMES DIFFICULT TO KNOW
WHEN TO PRESS THE GAS PEDAL OR
TAKE YOUR FEET OFF OF IT A
LITTLE BIT, RIGHT, AND THAT’S
THE PROBLEM.
WE DO GET COMPLACENT.
WE SEE THIS REDUCTION IN SEVEN
DAY AVAGEERAGES AND START TO
THINK IT’S OKAY.
EVERYONE STARTS GOING OUT THERE.
THEY’RE A LITTLE CARELESS ABOUT
THEIR MASKS, A LITTLE CARELESS
ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING AND WE
SEE THEIR NUMBERS COME BACK.
YOU HAD STRUGGLE GETTING THIS
ORDINANCE IN PLACE.
HOW DO YOU ENSURE WE DON’T PULL
IT OFF TOO QUICKLY?
>> I THINK WHAT WE HAVE TO DO
MAKE SURE WE STAY IN FRONT OF
THE PUBLIC AND WE REMIND THEM
THIS IS MARATHON NOT A SPRINT.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE’RE GOING TO
BE DEALING WITH MONTHS ON END.
WE CAN’T SAY BY LABOR DAY OR
THANKSGIVING THIS IS GOING TO BE
OVER.
WE HAVE TO DO OUR PART, AND I
THINK IF WE CONTINUE TO DO THAT
NOT ONLY HERE IN MONTGOMERY BUT
THROUGHOUT THIS STATE AND THE
COUNTRY THEN WE WILL SEE SOME OF
THESE STRAINS PUT ON OUR
HOSPITAL SYSTEM EASE A LITTLE
BIT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BE
MINDFUL IN MY OPINION ABOUT
MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND THOSE
PEOPLE WHO ARE KEEPING ALL OF US
SAFE AND HEALTHY, WHETHER OR
NOT, WE HAVE COVID-19 OR WE HAVE
ANOTHER ISSUE BECAUSE WE DON’T
KNOW WHEN THAT STRAINED WORK
FORCE IS REALLY GOING TO BE
TAPPED BEYOND ANY LEVEL THAT WE
CAN IMAGINE RIGHT NOW.
SO WHILE WE HAVE THE DATA, WE
HAVE THE INFORMATION FROM THE
EXPERTS, WE HAVE TO DO OUR PART
AND TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING