Oak Ridge Today

Governor recommends keeping schools closed through end of school year

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Bill Lee

Note: This story was last updated at 6:40 p.m.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has recommended that schools in the state remain closed through the end of the school year.

Lee announced the recommendation during a Wednesday afternoon press conference about the COVID-19 pandemic.

School districts will have the flexibility to carry out critical year-end activities and to start preparing for next year, the governor said.

Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn said she appreciated the governor’s recommendation to keep schools closed through the end of the school year in order to protect the health and safety of all Tennesseans.

Schwinn said schools will open next year, and students will enter new grades.

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Governor announces free COVID-19 testing

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Bill Lee

Note: This story was last updated at 6:55 p.m.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Wednesday announced that free COVID-19 testing will be available to any Tennessee resident, regardless of whether they have the traditional symptoms: fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.

It’s a significant expansion of what the state has been doing, including of the testing criteria and testing sites and dates, said Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey. She said access is being expanded to the uninsured.

“If you think you need a test, we will test you,” Piercey said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference about the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our clinical understanding of COVID-19 is changing rapidly, and we need every Tennessean who isn’t feeling well, even outside of the traditional COVID-19 symptoms of cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, to come out and get tested.”

Lee said those who might want to get tested include those who aren’t feeling well and those who have come into contact with someone who has had COVID-19.

“We need every Tennesseean who isn’t feeling well to understand that they have access to testing,” Lee said. “When in doubt, get a test.”

COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness that can be deadly.

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Updated: Governor extends ‘stay at home’ order to April 30

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Source: State of Tennessee

Note: This story was last updated at 1:45 p.m. April 14.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Monday said he will extend the state’s “stay at home order” through Thursday, April 30.

The order, issued Thursday, April 2, had been scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, but it has been extended for 16 days. The order requires Tennessee residents to stay at home unless they are carrying out essential activities. (You can learn more about essential businesses and services in the image above and on this website page.)

The order was extended to the end of the month in cooperation with guidance from the White House, Lee said during a press conference broadcast online on Monday afternoon. The governor’s updated executive order is available here.

Tennessee has had more than 10 days of single-digit growth, rather than double-digit growth, in the number of COVID-19 cases, Lee said, calling the trend encouraging.

“We’re not out of the woods yet, and it could be some time,” Lee said. “But it is clear that the actions that we take at the state, combined with the local level—most importantly with the determination of our citizens and the bravery of our first responders and our health care workers on the front lines—those efforts have saved countless lives across Tennessee, and for that we are thankful.”

The governor’s new executive order, Executive Order 27, extends temporary social distancing and the stay-at-home provisions of previous executive orders that, among other things:

  • prohibited social gatherings of 10 or more people;
  • told restaurants, bars, and similar food and drink establishments to offer take-out or delivery options only;
  • directed gyms and fitness or exercise centers to temporarily close and suspend in-person services;
  • restricted visitation in nursing homes, retirement homes, and long-term care or assisted-living facilities; and
  • applied to close-contact personal services and entertainment and recreational gathering venues.

The “stay at home” order has been in place as Tennessee, like other states and countries around the world, tries to reduce the spread of COVID-19, a contagious respiratory illness that can be deadly.

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More than 5,000 COVID-19 cases, 100 deaths reported in Tennessee

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Graph by Ken Mayes (used with permission)

Note: This story was last updated at 2:45 p.m.

More than 5,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Tennessee, and more than 100 people have died, state health officials said Saturday.

The Tennessee Department of Health reported 5,114 cases and 101 deaths. The state health department publishes the state case totals at 2 p.m. Central time each day.

The largest percentage of COVID-19 continues to be among patients who are 21 to 30 years old. They account for 1,066 cases, or 21 percent of patients. That age group combined with four others (31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70) account for 4,302 cases, or 83 percent of them.

The average age of COVID-19 patients in Tennessee has been 46. The age range of patients has been between 0 and 99.

COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness that can be deadly. In Tennessee, most deaths have occurred among patients who are 61 years and older. They account for 84 deaths, or 83 percent of fatalities.

In Tennessee, about 10.9 percent of patients who have tested positive or are presumed to have tested positive for COVID-19 have been hospitalized (556 of 5,114 cases). The state does not report which counties the hospitalizations occurred in, and it’s not clear how many of the patients remain in the hospital.

About 2 percent of patients have died (101 of 5,114 cases).

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Oak Ridge adopts state ‘stay at home’ order

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Warren Gooch

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch issued an executive order Thursday afternoon that adopts the state “stay at home” executive order issued a few hours earlier by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. The order, Executive Order 23, requires Tennessee residents to stay home unless they are engaging in an activity that is considered essential.

Mayor Gooch urged Oak Ridgers to stay at home except to carry out essential activities. 

“It is time for all of us to stay home, starve the virus, save lives, and support local businesses for your essential activities,” Gooch said. “Stay positive and remember, we are in this together, and we will win this war against an invisible enemy.” 

The city’s local state of emergency ordinance implemented on March 23 regarding COVID-19 has been updated to adopt the new executive order, a press release said. The local state of emergency was declared in order to prevent the spread of, and to facilitate the containment of, the COVID-19 disease, the press release said.

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COVID-19 cases pass 4,000 in Tennessee

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Graph courtesy Ken Mayes (used with permission)

Note This story was last updated at 2:05 p.m

The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee passed 4,000 on Tuesday.

The Tennessee Department of Health reported 4,138 cases on Tuesday afternoon, with 72 deaths and 408 hospitalizations.

The number of cases in Anderson County increased by one to 11, after being at 10 for seven days. There have been no deaths in Anderson County due to COVID-19.

Knox County, which includes Knoxville, had 143 cases and three deaths, according to the state totals on Tuesday afternoon.

COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness that can be deadly.

The Tennessee Department of Health reported that 466 patients have recovered from COVID-19 in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health publishes the state case totals at 2 p.m. Central time each day.

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COVID-19 cases pass 3,000 in Tennessee

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Graph by Ken Mayes (used with permission)

Note: This story was last updated at 3:30 p.m.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee passed 3,000 on Friday. There were 3,067 cases, with 37 deaths and 293 hospitalizations, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

For the fourth straight day, the number of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County remained at 10.

COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness that can be deadly.

The 3,067 cases reported in Tennessee on Friday was about double the 1,537 reported on Sunday.

The number of deaths more than doubled in four days, up from 13 on Monday.

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Gov. Bill Lee issuing ‘stay at home’ order

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Bill Lee

Note: This story was last updated at 4:48 p.m.

On Thursday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said he will sign Executive Order 23 requiring that Tennesseans stay home unless they are carrying out essential activities. Lee said he is issuing the order because data shows an increase in movements across the state.

“We need all Tennesseans who can to stay home,” Lee said during a Thursday afternoon press conference that was broadcast online.

The governor issued a “safer at home” order this week that urged people to stay home except for essential business. But not as many are staying home as officials would like, and there had apparently been some disregard for the public health guidance.

“It’s dangerous, it’s unacceptable, and it’s a threat to life in the community,” Lee said.

The new order goes further, he said.

“Staying home is not an option,” Lee said. “It’s a requirement.”

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COVID-19 cases pass 2,000 in Tennessee

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Graph by Ken Mayes (used with permission)

Note This story was last updated at 8:30 a.m. April 1.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee passed 2,000 on Tuesday. The Tennessee Department of Health reported 2,239 cases, 23 deaths, and 175 hospitalizations due to COVID-19, a contagious respiratory illness that can be deadly.

The number of cases in Tennessee increased by 405. That was a 22 percent increase from Monday, when there were 1,834 cases.

The 23 deaths reported Tuesday were up from 13 on Monday. The state doesn’t currently list the counties where the deaths occurred.

The state also does not report which counties the hospitalizations occurred in, and it’s not clear how many of the patients remain in the hospital.

The Tennessee Department of Health publishes the state case totals at 2 p.m. Central time each day.

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Governor issues ‘safer at home’ order that urges people to stay home

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Bill Lee

Note This story was last updated at 7:45 p.m.

As the number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee continued to climb Monday, Governor Bill Lee issued a “safer at home” order that urged residents to stay home unless they are engaged in essential activities and it required non-essential businesses to close to the public, although curbside and delivery service will be allowed.

Critics immediately suggested the order wasn’t strong enough. Some would like a shelter in place order or stay at home order that does more than urge people to stay home.

The governor’s office said the new order, Executive Order 22, implements “safer at home” guidelines in every Tennessee county to further help slow the spread of COVID-19, a contagious respiratory illness that has no cure and can cause severe symptoms and lead to hospitalization and death. The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed 1,834 cases in the state on Monday, with 148 hospitalizations and 13 deaths. The number of cases has more than doubled in the past five days, Lee’s order said.

The governor’s order goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. Central time on Tuesday, March 31, and it will continue through 11:59 p.m. Central time on April 14.

“This is not a mandated shelter in place, but instead urges Tennesseans who are in non-essential roles to remain at home,” the governor’s office said.

The executive order restricts businesses that cannot safely operate during COVID-19 including businesses like barber shops, salons, and recreational and entertainment outfits, Lee’s office said. It also provides for the continuation of essential businesses throughout every county to protect the economy, the office said.

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COVID-19 cases pass 1,500 in Tennessee

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Graph courtesy Ken Mayes and used with permission

Note: This story was last updated at 11:40 a.m.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee passed 1,500 on Sunday.

There are now 1,537 cases in 72 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

That’s triple the number of cases from a week earlier. There were 505 cases on Sunday, March 22. The number of cases appears to be doubling in Tennessee in a range generally between two and five days.

“This is a very serious threat that we face as a community,” Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said during a press conference in Memphis on Friday. “We certainly have the capacity to rise up like Tennesseans do, to address it in a way that only we can. But it will take the efforts of every single one of us to do it.”

Lee said Tennessee is testing more people per capita than many other states.

The governor responded to a question about a potential “stay at home” order, an action he’s been urged to consider, and when they’re appropriate. He said a majority of states have not issued such an order statewide, and the decisions require “real discernment.” Closing businesses leads to job losses and affects livelihoods, Lee said. States are trying to use the right approaches and right decisions at the right time in the right places, Lee said.

“Here’s the reality in Tennessee: We are to a great degree, shut down as a state,” Lee said. “Every major population center has a stay at home order. The most populous counties in our state are all covered by stay at home orders—every restaurant, dining room in the state, every bar in Tennessee, every school in Tennessee…Tennesseans have shut down. This state is largely closed down, except for the number of folks that are moving around for the appropriate reasons.”

But that’s not true for all Tennessee residents, Lee acknowledged, as he urged residents to stay home, stay apart, avoid gatherings, and avoid unnecessary activities.

The number of confirmed cases in Anderson County ticked up to six on Sunday.

In surrounding counties, Knox County had 38 cases; Loudon County had eight; Campbell County had four; Roane County and Scott County each had two; and Morgan County and Union County each had one.

More than 133 patients have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Tennessee, a hospitalization rate of about 8.7 percent of confirmed cases. Seven people have died, according to the Tennessee Department of Health, which publishes the state case totals at 2 p.m. Central time each day. It’s not clear how many of the 133 patients who have been hospitalized with COVID-19 remain in a hospital, or where the majority have been hospitalized.

Shelby County, which includes Memphis in West Tennessee, recently passed Davidson County, which includes Nashville in Middle Tennessee, in the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state. Shelby County had 313 cases on Sunday, while Davidson County had 260. Shelby County had about 20 percent of the state’s total, while Davidson County had roughly 17 percent.

Oak Ridge Today has reported on three cases in Anderson County, one at the Anderson County Courthouse and two at the Y-12 National Security Complex. But it’s not clear where those two patients live or were tested, so it’s not clear if those cases are included in the case totals for Anderson County or in the case totals for another county.

There have been 20,574 COVID-19 tests total in the state, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. Of those, 19,037 (92.5 percent) have been negative, and 1,537 (7.5 percent) have been positive.

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COVID-19 cases rise to 1,373; Morgan, Union report first cases

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Graph by Ken Mayes (used with permission)

Note: This story was updated at 9:20 .m. March 30.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee rose to 1,373 on Saturday, and Morgan and Union counties reported their first cases.

More than 118 patients have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Tennessee, and six people have died, according to the Tennessee Department of Health, which publishes the state case totals at 2 p.m. Central time each day.

Shelby County, which includes Memphis in West Tennessee, now has more COVID-19 cases than Davidson County, which includes Nashville in Middle Tennessee. Shelby County has 269 cases, compared to 243 for Davidson County. Each county has roughly 18 percent of the state’s total cases. The Shelby County total was up from 201 on Friday.

COVID-19 cases have now been reported in Anderson County and all of its surrounding counties: Campbell, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Scott, and Union.

The number of cases in Anderson County increased to five on Saturday, up from four on Friday and three on Thursday.

Oak Ridge Today has reported on three cases in Anderson County, one at the Anderson County Courthouse and two at the Y-12 National Security Complex. But it’s not clear where those two patients live or were tested, so it’s not clear if those cases are included in the case totals for Anderson County or in the case totals for another county.

Knox County, which includes Knoxville, has 33 cases; Loudon County has six; Campbell county has four; Scott County has two; and Morgan, Roane, and Union counties have one case each.

There have been 18,338 COVID-19 tests total in the state, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. Of those, 16,965 (92.5 percent) have been negative.

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