Editorial Roundup: Alabama

Recent editorials from Alabama newspapers:

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Aug. 26

The Times Daily on the University of Alabama and COVID-19 cases:

The lingering question over the summer was: If college students wouldn’t do it for themselves, would they at least do it for Nick Saban?

The University of Alabama’s reputation as a party school was running headlong into the need to fight the spread of the coronavirus by masking up and practicing social distancing. The early results indicate the former is winning out.

On Monday, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox abruptly announced the city is closing bars for the next two weeks, as well as placing a moratorium on bar service at the city’s restaurants.

The action came at the request of university officials, who clearly had seen data that shocked them. By later in the day Monday, everyone else could see the data as well.

The University of Alabama reported 566 new COVID-19 cases since last Wednesday.

“Although our initial re-entry test was encouraging, the rise in COVID cases that we’ve seen in recent days is unacceptable, and if unchecked threatens our ability to complete the semester on campus,” University of Alabama President Stuart Bell said at the news conference.

Yet Bell went out of his way not to blame student behavior for the increase, saying: “Our challenge is not the students. ... Our challenge is the virus, and there’s a difference, folks.”

But the measures taken regarding bars and restaurants tell a different story.

Crimson Tide offensive lineman Chris Owens took to Twitter more than a week ago after photos circulated online showing a long line of people, many not wearing masks, lined up outside a bar on Tuscaloosa’s infamous Strip.

“How about we social distance and have more than a literal handful of people wear a mask? Is that too much to ask Tuscaloosa?” Owens tweeted.

The university knows student behavior is an issue. On Friday, university officials announced a 14-day moratorium on all in-person student events outside of classroom instruction, banning social gatherings on and off campus, and closing the common areas of both dorms and Greek houses.

Across the state, Auburn University faces a similar problem. There, the university is investigating after hundreds of students tested positive for COVID-19.

“This investigation comes after reports that students were filling popular downtown Auburn bars throughout the week and over the weekend without wearing masks or social distancing,” WTVM-TV reported.

Some Auburn football players have also gone public with their displeasure.

“Y’all said it’s safer on campus, but I’ve seen crowds of people and none of them are wearing masks,” tweeted wide receiver Anthony Schwartz last week. “Don’t get me started on how downtown was last night while I was driving through.”

While many colleges and universities across the country have switched to online-only instruction for the fall term, and most fall sports have been canceled or postponed, including two of the Power 5 football conferences, most universities in the South have soldiered on, as has the Southeastern Conference, of which both Alabama and Auburn are members.

We get it: Partying and socializing are part of the college experience. But football is part of the experience at those schools, too, and this year you can’t have one without sacrificing the other.

And there is more at stake than either socializing or football. Lives and people’s long-term health are at stake.

Online: https://www.timesdaily.com/

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Aug. 24

The Dothan Eagle on 2020, hurricanes, and the pandemic:

To say it’s been a difficult year would be an understatement. Since the first of the year, we’ve seen social upheaval with protests and outcry about racial injustice, tipped by the death of George Floyd at the knee of a police officer. We’ve seen a global pandemic ravage the U.S., taking the lives of more than 170,000 people thus far, with little sign of abating. There’s continuing economic uncertainty, the loss of many businesses, record unemployment, the threat of mutant insects (remember the murder hornets?) and the loss of much of our leisure activity as we social-distance.

Now, with the arrival of hurricane season, we have two storms headed for the Gulf coast — something that hasn’t happened in 60 years.

Fortunately for the Wiregrass area, the first storm, Marco, has begun its deconstruction and is expected to arrive as wind and rain along the Louisiana coast. Hurricane Laura is right behind, and is expected to cross Marco’s path and move across western Louisiana and eastern Texas, before boomeranging back eastward.

In this part of the country, we understand the fickle nature of storm, and know that projected paths can change quickly, and that hurricanes can form in rapid succession.

The smart move is to make preparations now, and ensure that you’re prepared when we’re inevitably in a storm’s path.

And let’s hope 2021 gives us all a break.

Online: https://www.timesdaily.com/

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Aug. 20

The Cullman Times on the new school year:

The first day of any school year is always exciting, but this year it is especially so for teachers and students who have missed seeing each other in person since the schools closed for the coronavirus in March.

With all the changes - social distancing, sanitizing, and virtual classrooms - there’s likely to be a few bumps and rough patches along the way, but we need to extend some grace to the schools as they work out the challenges this new normal will present.

For many parents, the choice to send their child back to school or not has been a difficult one. Children do need to be around other students, but many homes also have grandparents or other family members who are vulnerable to this disease. There are also many students who depend on the schools for lunch every day and parents who do not have daycare options to keep students home to learn. Whatever choices parents have made, we owe them grace, too, for making choices that best fit their children and families.

In other states where students have already returned to schools, there have been some instances where schools have had to shut down again because of the coronavirus. We must remain vigilant as a community - wearing masks, social distancing, practicing good hygiene - to ensure that does not happen here. Our children do not live or learn in a bubble; each of us has a responsibility to do our part to stop the community spread of this virus.

Finally, a thank you to our teachers. Your job is never an easy one, even without a novel coronavirus. We trust our most precious gifts - our children - into your safekeeping. You nurture them, teach them and guide them. And this year, we’re asking you to do all that, sometimes from a distance, and with extra safety protocols in place. Over the summer, we’ve seen your enthusiasm to get back to doing the jobs you love and embracing whatever steps it takes to do so.

With the coronavirus still out there, this school year is going to be like no other, but we salute our teachers, students, and school staff for all they are doing to create safe learning environments for our children.

Online: https://www.cullmantimes.com/