In an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has limited some public gatherings to 10 people or less, The Hill reports.
Lee called on residents to keep holiday gatherings limited to immediate household members. He also announced that public gatherings will be restricted to 10 people or less under an executive order he issued over the weekend.
Places of worship and some other activities will not be limited to 10 people or less, he noted in an address posted to his website.
"It only took a matter of days to see gatherings around Thanksgiving translate into a record level of sickness. Tennessee cannot sustain a similar surge after Christmas or New Year’s. Tonight, I am asking you to make some hard decisions," Lee said.
Lee has not imposed a statewide mask mandate, even though he said he believes masks are an important tool to slow the spread of the virus.
"Many think a statewide mandate would improve mask wearing, many think it would have the opposite effect. This has been a heavily politicized issue. Please do not get caught up in that and don’t misunderstand my belief in local government on this issue. Masks work and I want every Tennessean to wear one," Lee said.
On Sunday, the state’s health director Lisa Piercey said Tennessee had the highest infection rate in the country. According to state data, about 3,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19.
"We are running out of options. There are no more staff members to spend money on since they are already by the bedside," she said.
Marisa Herman ✉
Marisa Herman, a Newsmax senior reporter, focuses on major and investigative stories. A University of Florida graduate, she has more than a decade of experience as a reporter for newspapers, magazines, and websites.
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