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Oak Ridge not authorized to require masks

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The City of Oak Ridge does not have the authority to require face masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, officials said Wednesday.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County, which includes Oak Ridge, has increased significantly this month. The county had 178 total cases on Thursday—a 70 percent increase since July 2—and the number of active cases more than doubled in eight days.

As the number of cases has surged in the region, people have set up social media groups where members have reported on mask use at local businesses and offices and called for mandatory masks, including in Oak Ridge and its schools.

On Wednesday, the city said it is prohibited from enacting or enforcing a mask requirement because of a Tennessee attorney general opinion issued in April and an executive order from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in May. (The attorney general’s opinion is Opinion Number 20-07, and the executive order is Executive Order Number 38.)

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Anderson County will not require face masks

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Terry-Frank-Aug-15-2016
Terry Frank

Note: This story was last updated at 11:35 a.m.

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank will not require face masks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced Friday that he was giving county mayors in 89 of the state’s 95 counties the authority to recommend or require face coverings in their counties.

On Tuesday, Frank said she would not exercise the authority to require face coverings.

“The people of Anderson County have been doing a wonderful job following the governor’s guidance, and I often express how proud I am of the job they’ve been doing throughout this COVID-19 pandemic,” Frank said. “I trust and respect the people of Anderson County, and I believe it is through encouraging healthy behaviors, promoting prevention, and praising each other that we achieve the greatest health outcomes.”

Frank’s announcement comes as the number of COVID-19 cases has surged in Anderson County. The county added 39 new cases between Thursday and Monday, pushing the total up to 144, and the number of active cases about doubled from 32 on Thursday to 63 on Monday.

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Anderson County has fireworks Saturday night

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Fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2017. (File photo by D. Ray Smith)

There are fireworks in Anderson County for Independence Day this evening.

The fireworks are funded by Anderson County with help from private donations from businesses and residents.

Anderson County commissioners debated last month whether to have the fireworks because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also debated how much to spend, with potential amounts ranging between $12,000 and $20,000. The goal was to get to a total of about $20,000.

The fireworks show will start at 9:45 p.m. today (Saturday, July 4) at Anderson County High School. The high school campus will be closed to the public.

Anderson County High School is at 130 Maverick Circle in Clinton, close to Exit 122 on Interstate 75. The Anderson County mayor’s office recommended that anyone watching the fireworks from public areas around Exit 122 use social distancing, which generally means staying six feet away from people who don’t live with you.

There are normally fireworks in cities such as Oak Ridge, but those displays have been canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, in what could be a one-time event, the county is hosting and helping to fund the display.

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Updated: State reports new daily high in COVID cases

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This COVID-19 dashboard by the Tennessee Department of Health is through Saturday, June 27, 2020.

Note: This story was last updated at 2:30 p.m. June 28.

Tennessee reported about 1,400 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, a new daily high, and the state passed 40,000 total cases on Saturday.

There were 1,410 new cases reported Friday. Of those, 1,396 were new confirmed cases, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. Fourteen were new probable cases.

The previous high was 1,188 new cases a week earlier, on June 19.

Seven of the state’s top 10 highest new daily case counts have been in the past two weeks. Five of them have been in the past five days.

The number of cases increased by 728 on Saturday, pushing the total to 40,172. Of those cases, 39,848 were confirmed, and 324 were probable.

The number of cases in Anderson County rose by one to 90 on Saturday. The day before, on Friday, the case count went up by eight, the highest increase in the county. Previously, the largest daily increase had been five.

While the hospitalization rate has fallen across the state, the number of current hospitalizations has increased during the past few weeks from 391 on Friday, June 12, to 484 on Thursday, June 25.

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Tennessee reports new daily high in COVID-19 cases

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A chart of daily new COVID-19 cases in Tennessee through Saturday, June 20, 2020. (Chart courtesy Ken Mayes, used with permission)

Note: This story was last updated at 12:30 p.m.

Tennessee reported 1,188 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, a new daily high, and the state passed 500 confirmed deaths on Saturday, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

The new high in daily new cases occurred in the same week that the state reported what are now its third- and sixth-highest totals of new cases in one day: 885 on Sunday, June 14, and 726 on Monday, June 15.

Of the 1,188 new cases reported Friday, the state said 1,181 were new confirmed cases and seven were new probable cases.

The previous daily high was 1,156 on May 1. That was reported after a large number of new cases was diagnosed at Turner Trousdale Correctional Center, according to Nashville investigative reporter Phil Williams.

It’s not clear why there was a new high on Friday. There was a large number of new tests reported, 15,176. But the rate of positive results, 7.8 percent (comparing total new cases to total new tests), was in the range of the rate for the rest of the week, when the positive rate ranged between 4.9 percent and 8.8 percent.

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Updated: July 4 Fireworks Celebration canceled this year

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The annual fireworks show was in Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on Thursday, July 4, 2019. (File photo by D. Ray Smith)

Note: This story was updated at 11:30 p.m. June 10.

The July 4 Fireworks Celebration in Oak Ridge has been canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a press release, the City of Oak Ridge said the challenges related to COVID-19 include:

  • The Oak Ridge Community Band has canceled its performance.
  • Surrounding areas have also canceled similar events.
  • Those attending the July 4 Independence Day celebration would not be able to successfully follow the social distancing requirements established by the State of Tennessee and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The city said there is a risk of larger crowds and more traffic because other nearby events have been canceled. Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said residents can instead spend time with family and friends at home.

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Nine of 11 COVID-19 cases recovered in Anderson County

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Nine of the 11 COVID-19 cases in Anderson County had recovered as of Thursday, Mayor Terry Frank said Friday.

“This is more positive news for recoveries,” Frank said. “Keep up the great work all!”

No additional information has been reported about the Anderson County patients, including their general location within the county, their ages, or genders.

There has been one death from COVID-19 in Anderson County.

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First COVID-19 death reported in Anderson County

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Note: This story was updated at 11:20 a.m.

The Tennessee Department of Health on Wednesday reported the first death of a COVID-19 patient in Anderson County.

No information has been released about the patient.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of the individual who succumbed to COVID-19,” Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said. “I had sincerely hoped we would not have suffered a death in our community, and I am deeply sorry for that individual.”

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

Frank said testing continues to increase, but the positive results seem to have stabilized. Anderson County held at 10 cases for seven days (March 31-April 6) and ticked up by one to 11 cases on April 7, even as testing continued to climb, Frank said.

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Six of 10 COVID-19 patients in Anderson County have recovered, mayor says

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Six of the 10 confirmed COVID-19 patients in Anderson County had recovered as of April 3 (Friday), Mayor Terry Frank said Sunday.

The number of cases in Anderson County has remained at 10 for six straight days.

There have been no deaths in Anderson County due to COVID-19, according to the local and state health departments.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

You can contact John Huotari, owner and publisher of Oak Ridge Today, at (865) 951-9692 or [email protected]

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AC Health Department offering COVID-19 assessments

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The Anderson County Health Department is offering COVID-19 assessments, Mayor Terry Frank said Wednesday.

People who think they may have COVID-19 symptoms can call the health department at (865) 425-8801 and receive a consultation and talk about possible testing options in the area.

“If you are ill and experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever and cough, shortness of breath, or breathing problems), it is recommended you call either your health care provider or the health department first so they can arrange for your arrival to minimize the risk of exposing others to an illness,” Frank said.

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COVID-19 confirmed in Anderson County

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The first case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Anderson County, according to the office of Mayor Terry Frank.

The Anderson County Health Department told Frank and Steve Payne, director of the Emergency Management Agency, about the first confirmed diagnosis.

According to the Health Department, the patient has self-isolated and the Health Department is currently engaged in education and tracing the person’s contacts. The Anderson County Health Department cannot release any further information about the patient, including a more precise location within Anderson County, a press release 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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