Walter Maddox, major of Tuscaloosa, Ala., issued an effective order of bar closings in the city for two weeks — due to the rise in Coronavirus cases at the University of Alabama.
According to UA’s Data System, 566 positive cases of COVID-19 happened upon fall classes starting on Aug. 19.
Everything began with a photo that went viral on Twitter, which had students and others lined up outside Gallettes with no masks on and no social distancing. Prior to this, the goal was to manage the situation as best as possible.
With Maddox stating that ‘fall is in jeopardy’, his main objective is protecting the health, safety and welfare of the community and the people in it. However, the question is will this high increase in cases affect Crimson Tide football this season?
RELATED: Mayor Walt Maddox says “fall in Tuscaloosa is in serious jeopardy” as local bars are shutdown to hault COVID-19 spread
Nick Saban and the student-athletes have talked on the safety the team feels on campus.
Players are being tested two to three times a week and in practice, all the CDC guidelines have been followed.
On Monday, Saban gave a passion speech in his presser on how he wants football for the players.
“This is about the players,” he said. “Everybody acts like we want to play for the money. I want to play for the players. We have a lot of guys on our team that can create a lot of value for themselves by playing this season. We can create a lot of value and these guys have worked really hard to try to accomplish something as a team. So, all those things are important to the players.”
He appreciates the fans and what they do to support Alabama football, but Saban wants an opportunity to create a situation where players can play and be safe on the field. When it comes to the athletes, he said there has been a one to two percent positivity rate of tests since July 4.
While the closing of bars should decrease the the intermingling of people and drop cases, hopefully it does not affect Tide football this season.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
