Alabama's governor breaks with fellow Republican leaders, extends state mask mandate through April

• The governor of Alabama has extended the state's mask mandate — but only through April 9.
• Gov. Kay Ivey broke with GOP leaders in Texas and Mississippi who ended mask requirements days earlier.
• Ivey said she hoped the extension would allow for more Alabamians to get vaccinated before April.

Alabamians will have to continue wearing masks in public, but only for another five weeks.

The state's Republican governor announced Thursday the statewide mask mandate intended to help curb the spread of COVID-19 will be extended one last time, through April 9. The order was previously set to expire Monday.

Gov. Kay Ivey said at a news conference Thursday the extension could allow more residents to start getting vaccinated before the order is lifted altogether.

The move comes just days after Republican governors in two other southern states announced they were lifting mask requirements. Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas lifted the state mandate by an executive order effective March 10, while Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced the mask order would be lifted and businesses could operate at full capacity beginning March 3.

Several states have loosened their coronavirus mitigation policies in recent weeks and months. Republican governors in Iowa, Montana, and North Dakota all ended mask mandates earlier this year, while Mississippi, Louisiana, and Michigan.

Restrictions at the local level, in Chicago and San Francisco, were eased in the last week.

Health officials have decried the decision and warned that lifting mask mandates risks another surge in COVID-19 cases. On Thursday, President Joe Biden called the decision to end mask orders "a big mistake" and a result of "Neanderthal thinking."

In Alabama, Ivey has faced political pressure from residents and even her own lieutenant governor, who have urged her to end the mask requirement, according to the Associated Press.

During Thursday's press conference, Ivey said masks had been one of "our greatest tools" in restricting the spread of the virus, but assured listeners she wouldn't extend the mandate again.

"While I'm convinced that a mask mandate has been the right thing to do, I also respect those who object and believe this was a step too far in government overreach," CNN reported Ivey said.

While COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates have dropped in the state since January, only about 13% of Alabama's 4.9 million people have received the first dose of a vaccine, according to the AP.

Alabama's State Health Officer Scott Harris told the outlet that vaccine supplies are increasing and if the state can deliver 1.75 million doses by early April, it would be a "terrific" place to be.

Despite the end of Alabama's mask mandate in sight, Ivey said she would continue to wear her mask around others and would "strongly urge" her fellow citizens to use "common sense and do the same thing."

"But at that time it will become a matter of personal responsibility and not a government mandate," Ivey said, according to NBC News.