From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
Alabama
Montgomery: The state’s mask mandate expires April 9 but not the recommendation to wear masks, the state health officer emphasized Friday. “There is nothing magical about the date of April 9. We don’t want the public to think that’s the day we all stop taking precautions,” State Health Officer Scott Harris told reporters. Gov. Kay Ivey has extended Alabama’s mask order through the evening of April 9 but said after that she will let it expire. She said then it will be a matter of personal responsibility. State health officials urged people to maintain precautions – particularly during spring break and Easter gatherings – as the state tries to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations. Dr. Sarah Nafziger, vice president of clinic support services at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said she hopes people continue to wear masks when the mandate goes away. “I hope people do continue to make the right choice now because we are
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Janice Wei/National Park Service via AP
HILO Visitation at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has declined by more than half last year compared with 2019 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, park officials said.
The National Park Service said 589,775 people visited the Big Island park in 2020 compared with the nearly 1.4 million people who visited the year before, West Hawaii Today reported Saturday. That s a 57% decline.
Park officials anticipated an increase early last year following the annual boost from the winter holidays, and had reported a slight 2% increase in guests in January and February compared with the previous year.
However, the park closed between March and June as a safety measure intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and visitation remained low even when it reopened because of a decline in tourism, officials said. Hawaii tourism dropped significantly as a result of travel restrictions and business closures caused by the pandemic.
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HILO, Hawaii - Visitation at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has declined by more than half last year compared with 2019 as a result of the coronavirus p.