Governor Kay Ivey issued her twenty-sixth supplemental emergency proclamation transitioning the state from an amended Safer at Home Order to a new Safer Apart Order, the third phase of COVID-19 pandemic health orders. Masks will no longer be mandated statewide, but individuals are strongly encouraged to wear a mask or other facial covering when in public and in close contact with other people. This order will end Monday, May 31, 2021, and the state of emergency will end Tuesday, July 6, 2021

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Q: Why do viruses survive outside the human body?

[Viruses](https://www.nature.com/scitable/definition/virus-308/) survive outside our bodies because of how they are built. Specifically, they are pieces of genetic material (RNA or DNA) contained in a special coating of proteins called capsids. [Viruses](https://asm.org/Press-Releases/2020/COVID-19-Resources) cannot replicate unless absorbed by cells in our body. Once a virus is outside the body, its capsid starts to degrade, and the more degraded its capsid is, the less likely it is to survive. When outside the body, these capsids degrade faster in cold, dry environments. They also degrade faster on soft, rather than on hard surfaces. That's because they need moisture to survive and soft surfaces absorb that moisture. Drafted: 16 March 2020

Why do viruses survive outside the human body?

Viruses survive outside our bodies because of how they are built. Specifically, they are pieces of genetic material (RNA or DNA) contained in a special coating of proteins called capsids. Viruses cannot replicate unless absorbed by cells in our body. Once a virus is outside the body, its capsid starts to degrade, and the more degraded its capsid is, the less likely it is to survive. When outside the body, these capsids degrade faster in cold, dry environments. They also degrade faster on soft, rather than on hard surfaces. That's because they need moisture to survive and soft surfaces absorb that moisture.

Drafted: 16 March 2020