BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin held a press conference Tuesday to discuss the delays in grass cutting and trash pickup in the city, citing that 10% of Department of Public Works employees have tested positive for COVID-19.

Woodfin asked the community to remain patient as the city works to get caught up. Birmingham also saw 17 days of rain in July which did not help in the efforts to take care of overgrown lawns.

The city reportedly had 17 neighborhood cleanups last month despite the weather and virus impacts. 1,079 grass cuttings took place, 1,949 tons of bulk trash in illegal dump piles were collected and 964 bags of litter were taken in as well.

The mayor also encouraged Birminghamians to get vaccinated against COVID-19, warning that the city could potentially return to having a mask mandate.

“We want to encourage you because we feel a lot of our behaviors are going backward. More masks are being implemented and other measures may have to be taken. We don’t want to have to take those measures. So, we want to encourage you to get vaccinated,” Woodfin said. 

The city of Birmingham will also have experts on hand this Saturday to help residents looking to take part in the city’s Emergency Rental Assistance program. The experts will be at the Bill Harris Arena from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to help Birminghamians who have fallen behind on their rent or utility payments due to the pandemic.

To book an appointment, call 205-778-2091.

The full press conference with the mayor and city leaders can be viewed in the video player above.