Name: Gov. Bill Lee won't extend Tennessee stay-at-home order past April 30; some businesses to reopen next week
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Gov. Bill Lee won't extend Tennessee stay-at-home order past April 30; some businesses to reopen next week

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Nashville TennesseanView CommentsGov. Bill Lee announced Monday that his stay-at-home order will not be extended past April 30&nbsp;and that some businesses around the state will begin reopening next week."For the good of our state, social distancing must continue, but our economic shutdown cannot," Lee said at his Monday afternoon briefing.A governor-appointed, 30-member economic recovery group is working with industry leaders to ensure that some businesses can reopen as early as Monday, April 27.But the green light to quickly reopen businesses doesn't necessarily extend to Tennessee's largest cities, where local authorities must still determine when restrictions can be eased.Lee's office said it will work with Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox and Sullivan counties&nbsp;— all of which operate their own health departments, unlike the other 89 counties with state-run county health agencies — as they plan their own reopen strategies.It's unclear when Tennessee's major cities plan to lift their own local restrictions on business and activity."We plan to keep the same social distancing guidelines in place even beyond and into the next few weeks," Lee said when asked about whether large gatherings will be allowed to resume around the state.His announcement came as governors in Georgia and South Carolina on Monday afternoon also announced they were repealing closure orders on some businesses. Lee on Saturday took part in a call with governors from those states, along with the Republican governors of&nbsp;Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.Lee said his office has not yet determined what types of businesses will be targeted to reopen first next week."The most important thing to me is that people can get back to work and businesses can begin to reopen," Lee said. "The economic difficulty that’s been created by this, it has been devastating to our state, and the sooner we can begin to change that picture, the better."Lee also announced that .As for what type of action Lee plans to take if there is a new surge in coronavirus cases once the state resumes its normal activity, the governor said the state will work with local health departments "to make adjustments needed in that region."&nbsp;Dr. Aaron&nbsp;Milstone, a critical care physician at Williamson&nbsp;Medical&nbsp;Center&nbsp;who has been outspoken about the need to require Tennesseans to remain at home, said contact tracing and a guarantee of more personal protective equipment&nbsp;for medical workers are needed before lifting the order."Rolling back health protections like the stay-at-home order without first the ability to quickly identify new cases,&nbsp;break chains of transmission, and protect first responders and health care workers from infection only jeopardizes lives and the economy," &nbsp;Milstone said Monday.Alan Levine, president and CEO of Ballad Health, a hospital chain in northeast Tennessee, said Monday that Lee's decision was "balanced and appropriate" and that the governor had been seeking input from experts.On Friday, Levine said, Lee had a call with health care CEOs asking their thoughts on appropriate steps to resume some elective medical procedures. Levine said he was pleased that Lee continued to stress physical distancing measures while making the announcement."He trusts Tennesseans to act responsibly and to listen to public health guidance," Levine said. "I hope the public will heed that call."A second round of protesters stood outside the Tennessee Capitol on Monday, a&nbsp;day after a waving flags and shouting for Lee to lift restrictions and allow the state to return to work.But the vocal group&nbsp;of conservative&nbsp;rallygoers&nbsp;aren't the only ones who called on the governor to act to immediately reopen Tennessee for business. Some state legislators did, too."I'd like to see it done today," said&nbsp;Rep. Martin Daniel, R-Knoxville, as he stood among roughly 100 protesters on Monday."I'd like to see the governor and the government make suggestions and offer advice, rather than set forth mandatory orders telling us what to do."Daniel, who said he was already in Nashville for other business, has been among a group of Republicans in the General Assembly who have expressed impatience throughout the past couple of weeks with continued restrictions on commerce and activity in the state in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.Lee, who received support&nbsp;in his 2018 election by a conservative base impressed with his political outsider status and calls for a system of small government, has faced harsh criticism in recent weeks from a vocal group of dissenters.Newsletter: No legitimate public polling has been conducted in Tennessee to gauge sentiment around actions Lee has taken&nbsp;to mitigate the spread of the virus, which included implementing a stay-at-home mandate April 2, an order that Lee later extended through the end of the month.But an&nbsp;NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll&nbsp;published Sunday found that 58% of voters nationwide said they were concerned physical distancing&nbsp;measures might be lifted too soon, risking a second wave of outbreaks. Only 3% of respondents&nbsp;said they believed the country was ready to reopen now.House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, has been vocal on social media about the need to get Tennesseans back to work and their usual activities."I would love to see us open up today," Faison said Monday."If it depended on me,&nbsp;I'd be willing to risk getting COVID if it meant us being able to have Tennessee back open and have our constitutional rights," Faison said. "We can run full throttle,&nbsp;just being careful and cautious with our actions."While Faison defended the governor and said Lee has done "as good as he can do" under current circumstances, Faison has felt that restrictions on gatherings have been "decimating to constitutional rights."Asked Monday about concerns from some that certain business closures have also been unconstitutional, Lee did not address the legal question but pointed to the need for public safety."What's most important is that the shutdowns occurred in order to save people's&nbsp;lives," Lee said. "Tennesseans have done what Tennesseans needed to do."Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, like Daniel, has sent a letter to Lee urging him to not further delay allowing businesses to reopen."Bill Lee and his team done a great job," Griffey said Monday. "Hats off to them. I applaud them. But&nbsp;to continue with&nbsp;a full shutdown, I don’t think the numbers justify continuing the shutdown. It may be an overreaction." Senate members also have weighed in online in recent days, putting pressure on the governor to act faster."It’s time to re-open Tennessee for business," Sen. Ken&nbsp;Yager, R-Kingston, tweeted Monday morning.&nbsp;"Small businesses are reeling because of the shutdown."He noted that Lee had formed the economic recovery group&nbsp;and that it&nbsp;was time to "get going.""Amen amen amen!" Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon, also tweeted earlier Monday, sharing a link to a blog post by a man&nbsp;who discovered federal stimulus dollars had run out for small-business owners like him.&nbsp;"It’s time to reopen business. Many cannot wait any longer."Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at .View Comments

Nashville TennesseanView CommentsGov. Bill Lee announced Monday that his stay-at-home order will not be extended past April 30&nbsp;and that some businesses around the state will begin reopening next week."For the good of our state, social distancing must continue, but our economic shutdown cannot," Lee said at his Monday afternoon briefing.A governor-appointed, 30-member economic recovery group is working with industry leaders to ensure that some businesses can reopen as early as Monday, April 27.But the green light to quickly reopen businesses doesn't necessarily extend to Tennessee's...

Gov. Bill Lee won't extend Tennessee stay-at-home order past April 30; some businesses to reopen next week

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