by Tyler Arnold
Tennessee issued new business guidance Wednesday that will end capacity restrictions for restaurants and retail shops and permit large noncontact attractions to open in 89 of the state’s 95 counties.
Attractions that now can reopen include amusement parks, zoos, large museums and theaters.
Although the state will allow any number of people to be in restaurants and businesses, it will maintain its social distancing guidelines. Restaurants still will be asked to keep tables 6 feet apart, and every business and attraction is urged to enforce social distancing. Restaurants also will be allowed to offer live music.
“Tennesseans have worked hard to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our state, and their efforts have allowed us to continue to reopen our economy further,” Gov. Bill Lee said. “These guidelines share best practices to ensure our state’s businesses can continue to operate in a way that protects customers and employees while putting people back to work.”
Six counties – Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox and Sullivan – have their own health departments are not subject to these guidelines and are reopening on their own schedules.
Democrats have criticized Lee for how quickly he’s reopening the economy.
Tennessee has had more than 18,000 COVID-19 cases and at least 305 deaths, according to the state department of health’s most-recent numbers. The country has more than 1.54 million positive cases and at least 93,518 deaths.
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus. COVID-19 symptoms appear within two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell.
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Tyler Arnold reports on Virginia and Tennessee for The Center Square.
Hard to give praise for these actions because there was no justification for the restrictions in the first place. What will cause the governor to declare the next state of emergency – the next full moon because it might cause the werewolves to attack? Ruling be fear is not a good thing.
President Trump told Governors to get people back to work immediately and if anyone was standing in the way make sure they understood he wanted Americans back. I think that is why Cooper moved everything up 2 wks.. Hopefully we will be spared a Full depression That our grandparents went through. There is no guarantee that isn’t going to happen before it’s over unless Trump can sit on these democrat governor’s
Excellent progress! Now, time to “take off the gloves” with regards to these other six counties!
Do not let the tail wag the dog! Do not let a handful of leftist politicians in Metro-Nashville stop the economic engine of Tennessee! You were cautious when we needed you to be cautious, but now it’s time to be bold!
Be bold, the citizens will have your back!
The whole thing is still BS… Just be careful, as we normally would in flu season…
So much fear is just sad…
The whole thing is still BS… People just be careful, as we normally would in fly season…
So much fear is sad…