Roane State Community College is having two virtual information sessions this week that are focused on addressing questions from students and their parents during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first session, for current and prospective students, was from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 26.
The second session, for parents and caregivers, is from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 28.
[Read more…]The Tennessee Valley Corridor will shift its Annual Summit and 25th anniversary celebration to a series of online events this summer.
The change, which was announced this month, is being made as large summer conferences and gatherings remain in doubt because of social distancing recommendations from public health officials, a press release said.
The Annual Summit had been scheduled for July 15-16 at Milligan College in Johnson City.
But the Tennessee Valley Corridor will instead have people participate in a series of weekly Summit sessions for five consecutive weeks starting Thursday, July 16. Each session will highlight many of the same speakers, topics, and organizations, but the new virtual format aims to maximize participation during the continued COVID-19 crisis, the press release said.
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The JCPenney store in Oak Ridge has re-opened. The store is in Main Street Oak Ridge in the center of the city.
The store is open limited hours: from 12-7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday.
There are dedicated hours for at-risk customers: 11 a.m.-12 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday. At-risk customers include the elderly, pregnant women, and people with underlying health issues.
It hadn’t been clear if the Oak Ridge store, which had been temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, would re-open after JCPenney filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday, May 15.
But it is now open. Customers can enter through the doors on the Cinemark Tinseltown side of the store.
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Children enjoy the Healthy Living exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge before it closed in mid-March. (Submitted photo)
The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will reopen on a three-day-a-week schedule and welcome visitors beginning Tuesday, June 2, now that museums across the state are allowed to re-open.
The Museum will take precautions recommended as a result of COVID-19, including social distancing and increased cleaning of the facility, to protect the safety of visitors and staff, a press release said.
“Children’s Museum visitors will be expected to practice social distancing, and visitors ages 5 and older will be required to wear a mask. Masks will be optional for visitors ages 3-4,” said Beth Shea, executive director of the Museum. “All staff and volunteers in public areas of the Museum will wear masks, and the Museum will be vigilant about cleaning and visitor safety protocols.”
The Museum’s new schedule will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday until further notice, and the staff hopes to eventually expand the schedule, the press release said. [Read more…]
The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee passed 20,000 on Sunday.
The Tennessee Department of Health reported 20,145 confirmed cases on Sunday, with 336 deaths and 12,837 recoveries since the first case was reported in the state in early March.
It was a 1.8 percent daily increase in the number of new cases. During the past two weeks, the daily percentage increase has ranged from 0.6 percent to 3.7 percent.
The number of new cases reported in Tennessee each day has ranged between and 100 and 623. The number of new cases reported Sunday was 356.
The number of deaths reported per day has ranged between two fatalities and 14 the past two weeks. Seven deaths were reported on Sunday.
The doubling time in the number of cases—the amount of time it took to go from 10,000 cases to 20,000 cases—was 26 days. For deaths, it was about 32 days (166 deaths on April 22 and 336 on Sunday). That’s a longer doubling time than reported earlier in the pandemic in Tennessee.
The seven-day average of the percentage increase in new cases in Tennessee had dropped from 2.41 percent on May 12 to 1.79 percent on May 20, but it climbed back up to 2.11 percent on Sunday.
It’s not clear what impact, if any, the expiration of the “stay at home” order in April and the re-opening of businesses last month and this month have had on the increase in the number of cases.
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The City of Oak Ridge will open its outdoor pool for the season starting June 15, which is later than normal, with changes due to COVID-19.
The pool normally has swimming hours Memorial Day weekend, and then opens for the season around the first of June.
This year, the main outdoor pool on Providence Road will be open, but the little pool for children will remain closed for the summer, the city said in a press release Friday. The indoor pool at the Oak Ridge Civic Center will remain closed through the summer.
A maximum of 200 people will be allowed in the pool area at one time, and reservations can be made online through Eventbrite. Families will be spaced apart. Restrooms will be open, but the showers and dressing rooms will not be. The picnic table area will be closed, and no public or private pool parties will be allowed. Swimming lessons are canceled for now.
In the press release, the city said the pool water is being treated with chlorine, a disinfectant that “wipes out” the virus. The main focus will be following social distancing and repeatedly sanitizing commonly used areas, the press release said.
Here are the changes that will be in effect:
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Clinton Utilities Board has partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority to award $20,000 to ADFAC to help the local community during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, a press release said.
“In this time of crisis, CUB is proud to partner with TVA to help our neighbors in need,” said Greg Fay, CUB general manager. “ADFAC will use this donation to assist people struggling to pay their utility bills.”
“On behalf of ADFAC, we are very grateful for the partnership we enjoy with CUB and TVA” said Joey Collins, program director for ADFAC’s Household Assistance Program. “We expect these funds to be a significant help to the struggling families of Anderson County as it will assist us in providing them with stability in these uncertain times.” [Read more…]
There will not be a Secret City Festival this year, organizers said Thursday.
In April, organizers had announced that the festival, which is normally in June, was postponed. But no new date was announced at that time.
On Thursday, the Secret City Festival board of directors said they have explored every option to have the festival in 2020, but “we have determined that we cannot provide the level of excellence this year that we wish to.”
[Read more…]Restaurants and retail stores in most of Tennessee’s counties can increase their capacity starting Friday if they follow certain guidelines, and large attractions such as amusement and water parks, auditoriums and theaters, and zoos and large museums can re-open under certain conditions on Friday.
Restaurants and retailers had been limited to 50 percent capacity since re-opening the week of April 27. There is no certain capacity limit for restaurants, as a percentage, under the updated guidelines released by the Tennessee Economic Recovery Group on Wednesday. Instead, the focus is on making sure tables are properly spaced.
The restaurants and retailers had been closed for about a month as the state tried to reduce the spread of COVID-19, a contagious respiratory disease that can be deadly.
Under the new guidelines, restaurants and retail stores can increase their capacity starting Friday as long as they continue to follow social distancing protocols. For restaurants, those protocols include continuing to space tables six feet apart—or installing physical barriers where adequate separation isn’t possible. Bars are to remain closed unless they are used for seated, in-restaurant dining where there is six feet of separation between customer groups. Live music is permitted with certain precautions, including maintaining at least 15 feet of separation between performers and an audience in order to reduce potential exposures.
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Most recreation areas and six dam reservation campgrounds developed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, including at Melton Hill Dam, were scheduled to re-open on Friday, May 15. The areas were closed in March as part of the overall federal and state response to slowing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Seventeen TVA recreation areas were scheduled to re-open, while the Pickwick recreation area is only partially re-opening due to ongoing repair work from spring flooding, a press release said. Four additional recreation areas will remain closed due to maintenance and repair activities unrelated to COVID-19: Kentucky Dam West Bank Road (walk-in access to fishing areas is permitted), Raccoon Mountain, Tellico, and the Wilson Dam Rockpile Recreation Area.
Consistent with current federal and state guidance, restroom facilities, large-group pavilions, and playgrounds will remain closed in the re-opened recreation areas, the press release said. In addition, all TVA visitors’ centers remain closed.
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Covenant Health hospitals, including Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, are testing blood plasma to treat COVID-19 patients.
It’s part of a nationwide effort to treat some COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma transfusions as part of a clinical trial. The convalescent plasma is donated by patients who have recovered from COVID-19. As part of an experiment, it is being given to current COVID-19 patients who are experiencing severe or life-threatening symptoms, Covenant Health announced Friday.
Plasma is the liquid component of blood that contains many useful proteins and antibodies.
“It is commonly used in the daily practice of medicine for treating certain conditions,” said Covenant Health pathologist Mark Williams, a doctor who is the principal investigator for the clinical trial. “Convalescent plasma refers to plasma that has been donated by patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and is likely to contain antibodies to the SARS-CoV 2 virus.”
[Read more…]Note: This story was last updated at 3 p.m. May 20.
Saddled with debt and already struggling, JCPenney filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday after closing its stores because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Oak Ridge store remains closed.
It’s not clear if or when the Oak Ridge store will re-open. It’s listed as temporarily closed.
Other JCPenney stores that are listed as temporarily closed in the area include locations in Turkey Creek in Farragut, West Town Mall in Knoxville, and Foothills Mall in Maryville.
JCPenney is the largest retailer to file for bankruptcy protection since the COVID-19 pandemic forced stores to temporarily close, according to CBS News.
There are only two JCPenney stores open in Tennessee. They are both near Nashville in Middle Tennessee. One is in Mt. Juliet, and the other is in Murfreesboro.
The company closed its stores and offices about two months ago, on March 18, because of COVID-19. It temporarily furloughed most hourly store employees starting April 2.
In a press release Friday, JCPenney said it will close stores in phases during its Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But details about the specific stores and their closing dates haven’t been announced.
JCPenney didn’t initially say how many stores might close, but over the weekend, there were reports that the company planned to close almost 30 percent of its 846 stores—about 192 stores by February and another 50 in 2022. That will leave the company, one of America’s most well-known chains, with just over 600 stores. Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the United States, JCPenney had announced plans to close six of its stores in April, according to CNN.
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