The vast majority of businesses in 89 Tennessee counties are allowed to re-open May 1 as far as Gov. Bill Lee is concerned. He announced on Monday that his safer-at-home order expires on April 30.
“Our Economic Recovery Group is working with industry leaders around the clock so that some businesses can open as soon as Monday, April 27,” said Lee in a statement posted online. “These businesses will open according to specific guidance that we will provide in accordance with state and national experts in both medicine and business.”
Lee said his Administration will work with Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox and Sullivan counties and their health departments as they plan their own re-open strategies.
“While I am not extending the safer at home order past the end of April, we are working directly with our major metropolitan areas to ensure they are in a position to reopen as soon and safely as possible,” said Lee.
“Social distancing works, and as we open up our economy it will be more important than ever that we keep social distancing as lives and livelihoods depend on it.”
The Economic Recovery Group (ERG) is composed of 30 leaders from the public and private sector and is tasked with crafting guidance to assist businesses in a safe reopening.
As of today (April 20), the COVID-19 case count for Tennessee stood at 7,238, including 152 deaths, 730 hospitalizations and 3,575 recovered.
The Shelby County Health Department reported 1,807 confirmed cases in Shelby County, including 38 deaths.
(For more information, visit the Shelby County Health Department at bit.ly/2TYclYS; the Tennessee Department of health at tn.gov/health/cedep/n. More information about ERG is available here.)
