Republican Alabama Governor Kay Ivey extended a series of emergency provisions that will help state hospitals continue to deal with an ongoing influx of coronavirus patients, the Associated Press reports.
The order allows hospitals to hire medical professionals like doctors and nurses who are not licensed in the state to treat patients at Alabama hospitals. It also allows hospitals to circumvent state regulations to obtain needed supplies and equipment to treat patients.
The declaration by Ivey continues the emergency provisions she first signed August 12th and demonstrates an ongoing crisis in health care caused by the pandemic. Alabama has not instituted any mask or vaccine mandates to help stem the spread of the virus.