As most of Tennessee is reopening its economy, Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced Thursday that Nashville/Davidson County will extend its safer-at-home order until May 8.
Essential businesses can remain open. Nonessential businesses, such as retail outlets, gyms and barber shops, will remain closed, and restaurants will be able to serve only takeout and delivery. Residents are to remain in their homes unless they have essential business to do.
Nashville has established a phase-in plan for reopening the city, but has not yet provided a timetable.
In 89 Tennessee counties without their own health departments, restaurants were allowed to resume dine-in services Monday and retail stores were allowed to reopen Wednesday. Gyms are set to reopen Friday, and close-contact businesses, such as barber shops and nail salons, are set to open Wednesday.
Gov. Bill Lee has requested they operate at limited capacity in accordance with his Tennessee Pledge guidelines.
The six counties with their own health departments can reopen on their own schedule. Madison, Hamilton and Sullivan counties started to reopen Monday. Knox County is set to reopen aspects of its economy Friday. Shelby County, similar to Davidson County/Nashville, has established a phase-in plan to reopen, but hasn’t announced the start date.
As of Thursday morning, Nashville had 2,669 positive COVID-19 cases, 1,411 recoveries and 25 deaths, according to the Metro Public Health Department. Tennessee has 10,366 cases, 5,140 recoveries and 195 deaths, according to the state Department of Health’s most-recent update.
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus. The disease has caused at least 62,444 deaths in the U.S., with more than 1.08 million confirmed cases in the country. COVID-19 symptoms appear within two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell.
