Tuscaloosa Mayor Reopens College Bars as COVID-19 Skyrockets at University of Alabama

The mayor of Tuscaloosa is letting bars near the University of Alabama reopen on Tuesday, even though the school just reported more than 800 new cases.

In a press release, Mayor Walt Maddox citied a “positive trend” in results, saying an overall decline in community positivity rates “provides an opportunity for a limited reopening of bars which have sacrificed a great deal to protect our healthcare system and economy.” At the same time, the university reported 846 new cases over the last week—the largest increase in a single week since classes began.

Maddox shut down all bars in the area for two weeks in late August, after more than 500 University of Alabama students tested positive in the first five days back on campus. The latest tally shows an increase in average daily cases from that first report, though a slight decline from a truncated, three-day report the week before. 

Read more at The Daily Beast.