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In a press release from East Alabama Health Wednesday, effective Thursday, Feb. 24, visitation at East Alabama Medical Center and EAMC-Lanier will return to the yellow level. It has been at the red level since Dec. 27, 2021, when the Omicron variant caused the fifth surge of COVID hospitalizations to begin.

Hospitalizations reached 100 on Jan. 18 but have declined to the lower 30s. Another factor for the change is the moving 7-day percentage of positive COVID cases. After being between 40-50 percent most of January, it has dropped significantly over the past two-to-three weeks. It is currently 10.2 percent for Alabama, while Lee County is at 8.8 percent and Chambers County comes in at 9 percent.

The primary difference between red and yellow is that yellow allows for two visitors instead of one in some areas and one visitor instead of zero in other areas. Beginning Thursday, signage regarding yellow level visitation will be posted outside the main entrances to both hospitals and at the Auburn Medical Pavilion.

According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, there have been 89 cases in Chambers County in the last 14 days. This is a dramatic decrease from the previous 14 days when the cases eclipsed 450.

As a result of decreasing numbers, Chambers County School District lifted the mask mandate effective Thursday, Feb. 17. Students wishing to wear masks can continue to do so.