Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Schools closing

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Oak Ridge Schools are closing at the end of the day today (Monday, March 16) after Tennessee Governor Bill Lee asked all school districts in the state to close as soon as possible.

Oak Ridge school buildings will be closed, and there will be no extracurricular activities or practices.

The governor expects all schools to stay closed through at least Tuesday, March 31. Oak Ridge Schools are currently on spring break, and they could extend the break using 10 snow/emergency days. That means students might not return to school until Wednesday, April 15, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in a recorded phone call to parents early Monday afternoon.

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Governor asks all school districts to close

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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has asked all school districts in the state to close as soon as possible.

He expects all schools to close by Friday, March 20, at the latest.

It’s part of the state’s response to COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.

“Schools should remain closed through March 31 to further mitigate the spread of this infectious disease, and we will issue further guidance prior to March 31,” Lee said in an announcement on Monday morning.

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Sheriff’s Office checking temperatures at jail, cleaning cells, patrol cars

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Anderson County Detention Facility Pod Construction
The Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton is pictured above.

Hoping to prevent the infection or spread of COVID-19, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said it is checking the temperature of everyone entering the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton and is using a hospital-grade disinfectant to clean the jail and patrol cars.

If a person has a fever and symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the Sheriff’s Office said it will make a decision on whether to admit them on a case-by-case basis while talking to the office of Seventh District Attorney General Dave Clark.

The Sheriff’s Office said its maintenance staff is cleaning the cells, walls, and floors of the Detention Facility more frequently than normal using a hospital-grade disinfectant that will help kill germs.

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Oak Ridge Senior Center, City Court closing; egg hunt canceled

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The Oak Ridge Senior Center will close today (Monday, March 16) due to COVID-19, and the City Court will be closed until Tuesday, March 31. The egg hunt scheduled for Saturday, April 4, will be canceled.

The Oak Ridge Recreation Center and Scarboro Community Center remain open for now, but Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said precautions are being taken to limit the risk of exposure.

“The public health situation is rapidly changing, here are the latest updates affecting city facilities,” Watson said in a message Friday:

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NCAA cancels events, including rowing championships in Oak Ridge

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SIRA-Regatta-April-17-2016-6
The 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The 2020 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships, which were scheduled to be held in Oak Ridge in May, have been canceled because of COVID-19, and other collegiate regattas have been canceled as well.

Oak Ridge officials and others have been looking forward to the NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships since it was announced three years ago. The Oak Ridge rowing venue is considered one of the best in the country.

In a March 12 notice, the NCAA said all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships were being canceled due to COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. Also canceled were the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, which includes March Madness.

The cancellations affecting Oak Ridge include the NCAA division I, II, and III Women’s Rowing Championships, Big 10 Invitational Regatta, Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championship, as well as other regattas slated to be held in conjunction with the Oak Ridge Rowing Association.

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Updated: Kroger, Walmart limit hours

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Some beef products were sold out at the Kroger store in Oak Ridge after midnight early Saturday, March 14, 2020.

Note: This story was last updated at 7:30 a.m. March 16.

The Kroger and Walmart stores in Oak Ridge are limiting their hours. It’s part of a trend of stores changing their hours across the country as people concerned about COVID-19 flock to stock up on supplies.

The stores said the limited hours will help them clean and stock shelves.

Normally open 24 hours, the Kroger store in Oak Ridge will be closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. “until further notice.”

The Walmart store, which is also normally open 24 hours, said it will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day starting Sunday, March 15.

As concerns about COVID-19 spread across the country, people have been flocking to grocery stores, loading grocery carts with supplies. Among the items that appear to be in high demand include beef and bread, flour and pasta, rice and beans, sauces and ramen, canned fruits and frozen vegetables, sodas and water, cleaning supplies and wipes, and toilet paper and paper towels.

That’s sometimes left empty shelves for other shoppers. Sometimes those items are restocked, but sometimes the shelves quickly empty again.

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MMC announces visitor restrictions

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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.

State basketball tournaments suspended

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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 asks residents to watch meetings rather than attend

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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 extends spring break, will move classes online

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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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Governor declares state of emergency; first COVID-19 case diagnosed in Knox

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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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Kroger limits purchases of certain products in high demand due to coronavirus

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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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