IAN: HER STATE HAS SEEN MORE THAN 900 COVID-19 CASES OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS. DOCTORS AND HEALTH LEADERS ARE KEEPING A VERY CLOSE EYE ON THOSE RISING NUMBERS. SHERI: DR. HARRIS JOINS US LIVE THIS AFTERNOON FOR AN UPDATE ON THE CORONAVIRUS CASES AND THE IMPACT IT IS HAVING ON OUR STATE. GOOD EVENING, OR GOOD AFTERNOON, I SHOULD SAY. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. SHERI: YOU HEARD THE NUMBERS JUST MENTIONED, WE’VE HAD ABOUT 3000 CASES ACROSS THE STATE SINCE FRIDAY. WE WANT TO BEGIN WITH HOW CONCERNING THOSE NUMBERS ARE TO YOU. >> THESE NUMBERS ARE VERY CONCERNING TO US. WHAT WE’RE SEEING ARE INCREASING NUMBERS OF COMMUNITY TRANSMISSIONS, CASES THROUGHOUT THE STATE. WE’VE SEEN CASES THROUGHOUT THE STATE OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS AND SOMETIMES WE SEE MORE ACTIVITY IN ONE AREA THAN ANOTHER. TO SOME DEGREE, THAT IS STILL THE CASE. ALL PARTS OF THE STATE ARE SEEING SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OR AT LEAST SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN THEY HAVE IN THE PAST. WE’VE BEEN RECENTLY ROLLING OUT A RISK DASHBOARD THAT IS COLOR-CODED FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE COLORS ARE THE RISK IN THEIR PARTICULAR COUNTY AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, THERE IS A LOT OF RED AND ORANGE ON THAT MAP THAT WE DON’T REALLY LIKE. IAN: YOU SAID LAST WEEK THAT IF PEOPLE DON’T COMPLY WITH HEALTH ORDERS, THEY CAN ONLY GO SO FAR. DO THESE LATEST NUMBERS TELL YOU THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT DOING THEIR PART? >> I THINK WE’RE CERTAINLY CONCERNED THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT. I KNOW THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE, MANY ALBANIANS HAVE DONE A TERRIFIC JOB PROTECTING THEMSELVES AND OTHERS. IT IS VERY CLEAR IF YOU JUST GO OUTSIDE AROUND YOUR CITY AT ALL, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE SOME PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE NOT DOING THAT. SHERI: WE KNOW THAT WEARING A MASK OR FACE COVERING HAS BEEN A BIG CONTROVERSIAL IN ALABAMA. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY TO PEOPLE WHO JUST REFUSE? >> I MEAN ULTIMATELY, THE REASON TO WEAR A MASK IS BECAUSE YOU CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU. IT’S REALLY UNFORTUNATE THAT SOMEHOW TURNED INTO A PARTISAN POLITICAL SEGMENT. I DON’T KNOW HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT. IT’S VERY CLEAR THAT WEARING A MASK THAT PEOPLE FROM TRANSMITTING DISEASE TO OTHERS. WE KNOW THAT WHEN YOU ONE OR MORE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE INFECTED MAY NOT EVEN KNOW THAT THEY ARE SICK, THEY MAY NOT HAVE SYMPTOMS AT ALL. WEARING A FACE COVERING IS JUST THE RIGHT THING TO DO. IAN: WITH THAT IN MIND, WE’VE SEEN SOME COUNTIES MOVING TOWARD A COUNTYWIDE FACEMASK MANDATE. IS THAT SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THAT IS ON THE TABLE BEING DISCUSSED? >> I THINK A STATEWIDE MANDATE WOULD SAVE LIVES. I THINK IT WOULD PREVENT DISEASE TRANSMISSION, I THINK IT WOULD BE A GREAT IDEA. AT THE SAME TIME, IT’S VERY CLEAR THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE THE SUPPORT OF PEOPLE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL TO DO THAT, PUTTING IN PLACE A HEALTH ORDER THAT PEOPLE DON’T RESPECT OR ARE UNWILLING TO FOLLOW IS NOT GOING TO BE HELPFUL. WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD WITH PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE STATE TO TRY TO EDUCATE THEM AND HAVE THEM UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPPORTING THIS, BUT WE ALREADY HAVE FACE COVERING MANDATES OR HEALTH ORDERS OR OTHER TYPES OF ORDINANCES IN PLACE IN MANY PARTS OF THE STATE INCLUDING BIRMINGHAM, MOBILE, MONTGOMERY. ALSO IN TUSCALOOSA. MOST OF OUR LARGE POPULATION CENTERS HAVE ADOPTED THIS. WE HOPE THAT OTHERS WILL DO THE SAME. IAN: DR. SCOTT HARRIS, WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TALKING WITH U