Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday extended the US state’s mask mandate till April 9. The Governor announced at a press conference that the order will be lifted after that. Under the order, masks are required in public whenever someone is within 6 feet of another individual from a different household, reported NBC News. Masks are also required in schools and colleges.

Also read: Texas lifts mandatory mask order despite expert warnings

In a tweet, the governor said that if “businesses believe wearing masks are important to keeping their doors open & their employees and customers safe,” then they’ll have five weeks to get ready to impose their own policies.

“The bottom line is we have kept the mask mandate in place for more than a generous period of time because it has helped. And as a result of the people of our state doing their part, we have seen dramatic results & real progress being made,” she tweeted.

Also read: Biden administration to distribute 25 million cloth masks starting next month: White House

After April 9, however, wearing a mask will not be mandatory. 

Alabama has recorded 295,690 COVID-19 cases and 10,029 deaths.