Oak Ridge Schools and Aramark are offering free meals to students this week.
The meals are for Oak Ridge children under 18, a press release said. They will be “to go.”
Meals will be distributed at Glenwood Elementary School, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Preschool, and Robertsville Middle School. All pickup locations are at drop-off circles. Breakfast is from 8 to 9:30 a.m., and lunch is from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
[Read more…]Note: This story was updated at 4:40 p.m.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee rose to 505 on Sunday, a 36 percent increase from Saturday, when the total was 371.
The first case was reported in Loudon County south of Anderson County on Sunday. Cases have previously been reported in Anderson County and four surrounding counties: Campbell, Knox, Roane, and Scott.
About 50 percent of COVID-19 cases continues to be among patients who are 21 to 40 years old.
About 47 percent of cases are in three Nashville-area counties: Davidson (167), Sumner (22), and Williamson (48).
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Covenant Health and other Knoxville-area hospitals will temporarily stop non-essential adult procedures starting Monday, March 23.
Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is part of Covenant Health.
In Knoxville, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital will limit certain non-essential pediatric procedures.
“Ultimately, hospitals will rely on providers to use clinical judgement and standards of care in determining when to complete a procedure,” area hospitals said in a press release Friday.
[Read more…]An order from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Sunday prohibits eating inside restaurants and requires gyms and fitness centers to temporarily close.
The executive order is in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The order, Executive Order 17, said restaurants, bars, and similar businesses that serve food and drinks must sell food only through drive-throughs or take-outs, or by delivery.
Businesses may sell alcohol by take-out or delivery when customers buy food. But the alcohol must be in closed containers and served only to customers who are 21 years old or older.
The measures are meant to help families, businesses, and the food supply chain. Lee’s office said.
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Belk, JCPenney, and several new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge are closed. So is Cinemark Tinseltown Theater. Dick’s Sporting Goods is open for curbside pickup only.
The new stores that are closed include Burkes Outlet, maurices, Rack Room Shoes, T.J.Maxx, and Ulta Beauty.
Electronic Express, PetSmart, and Rue21 were open at last check this weekend, but they have modified hours. (Note: The response to COVID-19 changes rapidly, meaning store operations could change quickly.)
JCPenney said it plans to reopen on April 2. JCPenney said it temporarily closed for the health and safety of customers and employees. The store said it continues to offer service online at jcp.com and through its mobile application.
Cinemark Tinseltown said it is closed until further notice to comply with a local government ordinance. It’s not clear what ordinance that is. You can reach Cinemark by calling (800) 246-3627.
[Read more…]Note: This story was last updated at 2 p.m. March 22.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee increased to 371 on Saturday, up from 228 on Friday, as Roane County and Scott County reported their first cases.
That’s a 63 percent increase from Friday to Saturday. It followed a 48 percent increase from Thursday to Friday and a 57 percent increase from Wednesday to Thursday.
Anderson County reported its first case of the contagious respiratory illness on Thursday.
The list published by the Tennessee Department of Health at 2 p.m. Central time on Saturday included two cases in Scott County and one case in Roane County. No additional information was immediately available about the three cases.
Cases in Knox County and Campbell County were reported earlier.
There are now COVID-19 cases in 33 of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The largest number of cases is still in Davidson County, which includes Nashville. There are 140 cases there, or about 38 percent of the state’s total. That’s up from 101 cases on Friday.
[Read more…]The Oak Ridge City Council will have a special meeting at noon Monday to discuss how the city is handling and addressing the new coronavirus, or COVID-19.
The special meeting will be in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.
To help residents watch the meeting, the meeting will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 12 and will be streamed live by the city at www.oakridgetn.gov/councilstreaming.aspx. The meeting will also be audio- and video-recorded and posted on the city’s website as soon as possible after the meeting, a press release said.
“Due to the Centers for Disease Control advisory of limiting gatherings of 10 or more individuals, the city would encourage residents to watch the meeting through one of the methods provided above,” the press release said.
[Read more…]The Winter Farmers’ Market will be open on Saturday, but it will be outside because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Winter Farmers’ Market is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 28. It will be outside the gymnasium at St. Mary’s School at 323 Vermont Avenue in Oak Ridge.
Vendors will be placed at least 10 feet apart, a press release said.
Customers who are seniors or immune-compromised may order ahead of time for curbside pickup, the press release said. Information on how to do that is listed on the market’s website at www.GrowOakRidge.org.
[Read more…]The Oak Ridge Municipal Building will be closed starting Monday, and the Public Library and Recreation Center will close Saturday evening (tomorrow, March 21). Those were among the changes announced Friday by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is the latest update, which includes changes from an announcement earlier this week. The public health situation can change rapidly, so any of the following conditions could change.
MUNICIPAL BUILDING
[Read more…]Note: This story was updated at 3:50 p.m.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee rose to 228 on Friday, up from 154 on Thursday. The new total includes the first confirmed case in Anderson County.
The number of cases increased about 48 percent from Thursday to Friday.
The 48 percent jump from Thursday to Friday followed a 57 percent increase from Wednesday to Thursday. That increase, the largest day-to-day increase, was due to more tests being available, said Lisa Piercey, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health.
The contagious respiratory illness, which can be lethal, is now reported in 26 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, up from 17 counties on Thursday. Besides Anderson County, Blount County is reporting its first new case.
[Read more…]Oak Ridge municipal services and access to facilities have been affected by the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All board and commission meetings have been canceled for now. The Oak Ridge Public Library, Civic Center, and Recreation Center remain open for now, but there have been some changes. The Animal Shelter is temporarily closed to the public.
The public health situation can change rapidly, so any of the following conditions could change.
MUNICIPAL BUILDING
[Read more…]Most state and local court proceedings have been suspended in Tennessee through the end of the month after a state of emergency was declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The suspension of in-person proceedings in state and local courts applies to municipal, juvenile, general sessions, trial, and appellate courts. It started at the close of business on Friday, March 13, and continues through Tuesday, March 31, according to an order by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
There are exceptions, including proceedings that protect the constitutional rights of criminal defendants such as bond-related hearings and plea agreements for people in jail; proceedings for relief from abuse, including orders of protection; proceedings for emergency child custody orders; Department of Children’s Services emergency matters related to protecting children; and proceedings related to petitions for emergency mental health orders, the emergency protection of elderly or vulnerable people, and the COVID-19 public health emergency.
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