Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Monday that Tennessee had exactly 5,610 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and that 109 state residents had died after contracting the virus.
But Lee also said exactly 1,671 Tennesseans had recovered from the illness.
At a press conference Monday, Lee said there were reasons for optimism — but he still preached caution.
“It is encouraging as Tennessee has now had more than 10 days of single digit percentage case growth,” Lee said.
“Our aggressive testing of more than 76,195 tests has uncovered an average positivity rate between 6 percent to 8 percent consistently. Our hospitalization rate continues to be stable with 579 hospitalizations to date.”
Lee also said that state officials are working with members of the Tennessee Medical Association and the Tennessee Hospital Association “to ensure the reality on the ground is just as encouraging as the trendlines that we are seeing.”
Tennessee’s 95 counties, Lee went on to say, have received more than 28 million pieces of Personal Protective Equipment. The state also has 5,287 open-staffed hospital beds.
“Our contingency plans for alternate care sites remains on forward track as we keep plans in place for any potential surge that may occur imminently or in the months ahead. We thank the Army Corps of Engineers for their flexibility and in identifying both short-term and long-term solutions and for the work of local leaders to supplement these efforts for alternative facilities,” Lee said.
Lee also urged state residents to continue social distancing and to stay at least six feet away from one another.
“We have to continue social distancing in public even as certain restrictions are relaxed. We also want to strongly encourage the simple things. Wearing cloth masks in public. Touch as few common surfaces as you can. Wash your hands frequently throughout the day. Most importantly, stay home, if you’re sick or symptomatic and get tested if you believe you have COVID symptoms or have been exposed to any who have,” Lee said.
“These precautions are for everyone. And the elderly or those with underlying conditions will need to take even further precautions. More details regarding our new normal will be released in the coming days, but I implore Tennesseans to stay consistent in your efforts to flatten the curve. Our ability to successfully relaunch our economy requires every Tennessean to step up and adopt new habits.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Bill Lee’s lack of leadership and dictatorial actions have not been encouraging signs.