COVID-19 in Alabama: Five Years Later

It was Friday, March 13, 2020, that Alabama recorded its first COVID-19 case, which was in Montgomery County.

So much changed after that day. Even five years later, the effects of the coronavirus can still be seen.

The unprecedented pandemic led the Alabama Department of Public Health to take action, including limited gathering sizes, work and school from home and isolation when possible. The decisions and guidance weren’t always popular, but health officials say they were necessary with so much unknown about the virus at that time.

LOOKING BACK AT COVID-19 IN ALABAMA:

First COVID-19 case in Alabama recorded in Montgomery County

Gov. Kay Ivey issues Stay-at-Home order

Montgomery area leaders want businesses to require customers to wear masks

SEC releases COVID-19 requirements for fall sports

First doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be given in Alabama

Deadline for four million federal workers to get COVID-19 vaccine

Most of us can remember having to wait for the vaccine to finally become available. But before that, COVID testing also required a wait.

“Early on, we had some challenges from the beginning if you recall, we couldn’t do testing,” ADPH Medical Officer for Disease Control Dr. Burnistine Taylor told Action 8 News. ” So everyone had to have their testing approved through here. We had all these criteria you had to meet because the tests were limited.”

Taylor said ADPH was determined to make the vaccine available in all counties to keep people from having to travel to wait in line to get their shot. She says that even though people still had to wait, that decision went well.

The stay-at-home order had people flooding grocery stores to stock up on bread, peanut butter, antibacterial cleaner and toilet paper. Stores had a hard time keeping up with the demand. Many stores put up plastic panels to keep customers and cashiers separated. Some made aisles one-way to prevent shoppers from coming into close contact.

Shelves at the Sturbridge Winn-Dixie store in Montgomery on March 13, 2020, showed how people stocked up on toilet paper, cleaner, bread and peanut butter. This scene was common throughout Alabama — Photo from WAKA Action 8 News

Restaurants made adjustments to serve to-go orders as dining areas were closed. Even when they reopened, diners had to be spaced apart.

There have been nearly 1.7 million cases of COVID-19 reported in Alabama, resulting in 21,000 deaths.

Now, five years later, fewer than 1.2% of recorded deaths in Alabama are linked to the coronavirus.