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Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge has announced visitor restrictions.
No one with any illness (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.) should visit, MMC said in a social media post.
Only household contacts or those considered critical to the support of a patients’ health care may visit, said MMC, which is part of the Covenant Health network.
The restrictions were announced as the nation continues to prepare for a COVID-19 outbreak, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
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The BlueCross Basketball Championships, the state tournament games that were scheduled to include the Oak Ridge boys team, have been suspended because of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
It’s not clear yet if the games will be rescheduled.
The state basketball tournaments were suspended after quarterfinal games in the girls tournament on Thursday.
The Oak Ridge Wildcats had been scheduled to play in a quarterfinal game of the Class AAA boys tournament on Wednesday of next week.
“Whether we will be able to reschedule these events will depend on the length of the suspension and the availability of facilities,” the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association said.
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Anderson County officials on Friday asked residents to watch government meetings on television or stream them online, rather than attend in person.
The request comes as people across the country grapple with the uncertainty over COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. The request came after Anderson County Commission Chair Tracy Wandell and Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank discussed the state of emergency declared by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Thursday and the county’s response to it in terms of government meetings.
“We will continue to conduct meetings to fulfill the jobs we are required to perform and to keep services available to citizens,” a press release said. “However, we encourage citizens to take advantage of Anderson County’s technological capabilities for our meetings. You may watch our meetings on Comcast cable Channel 95 or by streaming online at https://www.andersoncounty.tv.”
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Roane State Community College is extending spring break for students through March 22 and will move classes online starting March 23.
The changes are in response to public health concerns about COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
Faculty and staff will use the extended spring break time to prepare for a transition to online classes and working from home, Roane State said in a press release on Friday. On March 23, classes will resume in an online format through at least March 29, the college said.
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Note: This story was last updated at 7:10 p.m.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declared a state of emergency to help treat and contain COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, and the first case has been diagnosed in Knox County.
The Knox County patient was exposed overseas and is an isolated case. The person has been in isolation and has not required hospitalization, according to the Knox County Health Department.
It’s a presumptive positive case, and local and state officials are waiting for confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Following standard public health protocols for infectious disease response, Knox County Health Department said its epidemiologists will work with the Tennessee Department of Health and follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contact and monitor anyone who may have been exposed to this isolated case. Eighteen cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Department of Health, but it is not currently widespread in Knox County or the state.
“We understand the concern surrounding COVID-19, but we hope Knox County citizens can take some comfort in the fact that we were expecting a case, and that we routinely utilize extensive plans and national best practice to respond to all reportable infectious diseases in Knox County,” said KCHD Senior Director Dr. Martha Buchanan. “The most important thing the public can do is to follow the CDC guidance, which includes the standard hygiene practices we recommend to prevent the spread of flu and other viruses.”
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Attendance will be limited at the boys and girls state basketball tournaments starting Friday, and that will affect an Oak Ridge team and its fans and cheerleaders.
The Oak Ridge Wildcats are one of the eight teams playing in the Class AAA boys basketball tournament, which starts Wednesday, March 18.
The attendance limits are because of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. The limits were announced Thursday by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association.
“Like many other athletic associations and leagues throughout the country, TSSAA has decided that the health and safety of our student-athletes and spectators alike require that we limit fan attendance at our girls’ and boys’ state basketball championships,” the organization said.
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Kroger has announced on its website that it will limit the purchases of certain products that are in high demand due to the new coronavirus.
The limits apply to some sanitary, cold, flu, and household products. Purchases will be limited to five of each bar code per customer.
The products include bathroom tissue, bottled water, liquid hand soap, liquid hand sanitizer, vitamins, household cleaning supplies such as bleach, and cold and flu products.
The limits apply to in-store purchases, and pickup and delivery orders. Kroger said orders could be modified when picked up or delivered.
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Note: This story was updated at 5:35 p.m. March 15.
Oak Ridge Schools has cancelaed an elementary school Safety Patrol trip to Washington, D.C., but the Oak Ridge High School winter guard and percussion trip to Suwanee, Georgia, is still scheduled to occur.
Update: The WGI has canceled all future events, and the ORHS Indoor Percussion will not be traveling to Georgia. But they did perform at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Friday. It’s not clear if the status of the band and orchestra trip mentioned below has changed.
Regarding another trip, the Oak Ridge Board of Education did not vote in a meeting on Wednesday to cancel the ORHS band and orchestra trip to New York City at this time. But school officials plan to keep monitoring conditions in New York City.
The school board was considering the status of the trips because of concerns about COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
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Classes at the University of Tennessee are being temporarily suspended and moved online in response to COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
UT Chattanooga will suspend in-person classes until March 30, while UT Knoxville and UT Martin will suspend in-person classes until April 3. Beginning March 23, UT Health Science Center will offer all face-to-face lecture classes remotely until further notice. Clinical rotations in hospitals will continue as usual, a press release said.
University of Tennessee Interim President Randy Boyd—in consultation with chancellors at UT Knoxville, UT Chattanooga, UT Martin, and the UT Health Science Center—announced the temporary suspension of all in-person classes in a press release on Wednesday. It’s being called a proactive measure.
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