A Message from Mayor Stimpson - February 3
Feb 3rd, 2021
Good evening,
It is 7:40 p.m. on Wednesday, February 3, and I am writing to give you an update from the City of Mobile.
Today, the Mobile County Health Department reports 33,580 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 146 cases. To review the most recent detailed report, click here.
As a reminder, there are some upcoming drive-thru vaccination events happening in Mobile County in the coming days. You can find more about those and other information about COVID-19 vaccines on the City of Mobile’s website. We have created this page dedicated to COVID-19 vaccine information and will be updating it regularly with new information about vaccine availability and upcoming clinics.
This morning our very own Executive Director of Parks and Recreation, Shonnda Smith, was a guest on Studio 10 to talk about the Black History events the City of Mobile has coming up throughout the month of February. This year’s theme is "A Century of Black Life, History and Culture. You can follow our Parks and Recreation Facebook Page for daily black history facts and more information all month long.
One notable Black Mobilian was recognized on the national level today as the U.S. Senate passed a resolution introduced by Alabama Senators Richard Shelby and Tommy Tuberville honoring the life and legacy of Mobile native Henry “Hank'' Aaron. I think this widely supported, bi-partisan resolution speaks to the impact Aaron had not only on the game of baseball but also on our culture and country.
I wanted to end tonight’s newsletter by clearing up some misconceptions I’ve seen about the plans the City of Mobile announced yesterday for Fat Tuesday.
Some seem to have the impression we are hosting or encouraging a large Mardi Gras event, but we see this as a plan to safely manage what we expect will be a larger than normal crowd on Fat Tuesday. We are still working with parading organizations to have floats set up in Mardi Gras Park that day, but no one is going to be on the floats or throwing things from them. They are only intended to be decorative.
We also made the decision to close some streets in the designated Entertainment District to help alleviate traffic, allow restaurants to use the outdoor space around their establishments and allow pedestrians more space for social distancing. To give businesses and employees who work downtown notice, we made the decision to release information about the street closures on Fat Tuesday to the public yesterday after briefing members of the Mobile City Council and local Mardi Gras organizations about our plans.
We want Mobilians to enjoy Mardi Gras and we want people to support the businesses in Downtown Mobile that would normally benefit from thousands of revelers during this time of year. Most importantly, we want people to be smart about their celebrations. If you’re not feeling well or are at risk of complications from COVID-19, please celebrate at home. If you go out into the City, please practice social distancing, wear a face covering and be mindful of the fact that COVID-19 is still active in our community. I believe in Mobilians’ ability to celebrate responsibly.
Sleep tight,