The Tennessee government is looking at ways it can reopen parts of the economy without putting residents’ safety at risk, Gov. Bill Lee announced Thursday.
To develop a plan, the governor formed an economic recovery group staffed with heads of state departments and industry leaders.
“COVID-19 has not only created a public health crisis, it has hurt thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of hard-working Tennesseans,” Lee said in a statement. “As we work to safely open Tennessee’s economy, this group will provide guidance to industries across the state on the best ways to get Tennesseans back to work.”
During a news conference Thursday, Lee said parts of the state economy will be opening in the very near future. With health care capacity and testing capacity for COVID-19 continuing to improve, he said Tennessee is in a better position to open up parts of the economy.
Lee said the state will encourage businesses to prioritize the health and safety of employees and customers during this reboot of the economy and it still is important to continue social distancing and taking other precautions to help stop the spread of COVID-19. He said these precautions are what got Tennessee into a place where the state can start opening up the economy.
The governor also asked for input from other business owners. He said business owners can go to TN.gov to provide the state with information on how COVID-19 is affecting their business and provide input on how they think the state should approach a reopening.
The effort coincides with President Donald Trump’s plan to start reopening low-risk parts of the country, according to Lee. He said he thinks the president’s plan is taking the country in the right direction.
The recovery group will be led by Tennessee Department of Tourism Development Commissioner Mark Ezell.
“This public-private partnership will prioritize connection, collaboration, and communication across industries, the medical community and state government,” Ezell said in a statement. “We’re grateful to these leaders for serving at a critical time in our state’s history.”
This group will have representation from the Department of Health, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and others on the government side, as well as representatives from the business community, including the Tennessee Hospital Association, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, the Tennessee Retail Association and others.
As of Thursday afternoon, Tennessee had 6,262 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 141 deaths, and 691 total hospitalizations, according to the state Department of Health. The U.S. has more than 675,000 confirmed cases and at least 34,522 deaths.
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus. Symptoms appear within two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose and difficulty breathing.
