Reopening Tennessee
Governor Bill Lee has signed an executive order today allowing groups of 50 to participate in social and recreational activity while maintaining social distancing guidelines. More details will be announced soon.
Tennessee continues to advance the state’s reopening plan under the Tennessee Pledge, as the Economic Recovery Group issued updated guidelines today for restaurants and retail, along with new guidelines that enable attractions and larger venues to reopen with social distancing and capacity restrictions on or after May 22. The State continues to meet the White House gating criteria with a downward trend in case growth, increase in testing capability and sufficient hospital capacity.
The updated guidelines enable restaurants and retail to increase capacity as long as social distancing protocols remain in place. Restaurants should continue to space tables 6 feet apart, or install physical barriers where adequate separation isn’t possible. Bars remain closed unless used for seated, in-restaurant dining where there is 6 feet of separation between customer groups. Live music is permissible with appropriate precautions, which include maintaining at least 15 feet of separation between performers and audience in order to reduce potential exposure.
Large, non-contact attractions and venues including concert and performance venues, amusement and water parks, auditoriums, theaters and dinner theaters, zoos, large museums and more can also reopen safely under new Tennessee Pledge guidelines. Strong measures to protect employees and customers are recommended, including screening of employees and customers, creating plans for managing guest flow, and limiting capacity to ensure separation between small groups.
Full guidelines can be found on TNpledge.com for:
Six counties – Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox and Sullivan – may continue to follow individual, county-specific reopening plans created in consultation with State and local health departments.
Cumberland County COVID-19 Update
26 active cases (down 2)
96 tested positive (up 2)
69 recovered (up 4)
1 death officially reported
3,172 negative tests
3,268 total tested
2.94% percent of those that have been tested were positive
5.48% percent of residents have been tested
0.16% percent of residents have tested positive
0.04% percent of residents have active cases
Contact tracing is completed by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH). Once a patient is contacted about a positive test result by the health department or their local primary care physician, they are immediately contacted by the TDH contact tracing team who investigates their movements and persons that they may have come in close contact with. TDH considers close contact to be within six feet for more than 10 minutes. TDH employees will identify themselves when calling. Contact tracing is done out of the regional office. If you are contacted and have questions or concerns about authenticity, etc., feel free to call 931-646-7586.
These numbers are intended to be a brief summary of the information provided by the Tennessee Department of Health. More detailed information can be found here.
Cloth Masks
Stop by the local Health Department (1503 South Main Street) from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM to pick up your free mask! One mask per individual in a household is allowed. This is while supplies last, but more shipments will be coming in regularly.
Census
The census is important! Please take the time complete your census today by visiting www.2020Census.gov or calling 844-330-2020 to get counted today! It matters.
Health Department Testing
The local Health Department (1503 South Main Street) is conducting drive through testing, free of charge, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. No doctor’s order is required, and no appointment is necessary. Anyone can be tested regardless of symptoms. Results are generally available in about two days.
Thank you for being part of the solution and thank you for the opportunity to serve as your County Mayor. If you are interested in hearing my thoughts and views on news, events, and activities in Cumberland County, please subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Thank you,
Allen Foster
Cumberland County Mayor
http://allenfoster.net
allenfoster.com 