Alabama mayor sounds alarm about crisis level COVID-19 cases even as state reopens businesses

Montgomery, Alabama Mayor Steven Reed told NPR on Tuesday that his city is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases even as the state's government is pushing businesses to reopen.

In his interview, Reed outlined the dire conditions in his city's hospitals and made a plea for people to maintain social distancing and to wear masks outside.

"They're looking for us to sound the alarm and let people know that we're still in the middle of a pandemic," Reed said. "They're running short on PPEs, they're running short, obviously, on beds. The staffs are physically and emotionally spent. So we have to do our part as leaders in the community to make sure we make the public understands that this is not over."

Reed said that he's seen some people in his city acting as though the pandemic has passed even though local hospitals are in crisis mode.

"It's not just themselves at risk when they do that, they put members of the public, their friends, their family at risk, and certainly our first responders and medical professionals," he said.

Listen to the interview below.