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By Kaitlin Holley

Alabamians are asking when the economy will reopen as many across the world are as well.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey held a joint news conference recently with Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris to discuss efforts to combat the COVID-19 outbreak and reopen portions of the economy.

Ivey issued a stay at home order for the entire state on April 3, and remains in effect through April 30. The order prohibits all non-work related gatherings of 10 people or more and all nonessential businesses must remain closed.

It is imperative that we keep doing what we have been doing now is not the time to pretend that things are going back to normal. All indicators suggest that it is working and we must keep staying at home and not let our guard down.

Many people are asking what our plans are to reopen the economy back. Here is an update and plans for alabamians that we have been working on for weeks.

Ivey spoke with each of the state’s seven U.S. representatives about determining what their districts need. She’s also tasked Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth with starting a commission focused on how to restart the economy.

On or before April 28, Ivey and Harris will review all recommendations before her current stay at home order is set to expire and move forward from there. It will all be phased in.

“We want to get people back to work as soon as we can, but we want to do it as smart as we can,” Ivey said. “We want to work cooperatively with our fellow governors across the nation and the Trump administration but what works in Alabama works with Alabama. We may have some ideas they haven’t thought of and they may have some ideas we haven’t thought of. We are doing what we believe to be the best interest of Alabamians to get back to work in a reasonable orderly manner.”

The state’s economy has taken a major hit from the virus and subsequent economic shutdown. Ivey said Labor Department Secretary Fitzgerald Washington has notified her of 264,000 unemployment filings in the last four weeks, dwarfing all of 2019′s filings.

Still, Ivey said ADOL is working around the clock to process claims.