There are more questions than answers after Gov. Bill Lee addressed Tennesseans on the state of the China virus.
The governor announced he had signed an order limiting all public indoor gatherings to just 10 people. Click here to read the order.“We know that it is gatherings that have caused this surge. That is why we are making these decisions around gatherings that will help us blunt the rise in cases,” the Republican governor said.
What does that mean?
Are businesses only allowed to have 10 customers inside their establishments? Are only 10 diners allowed inside restaurants? What about churches and synagogues? Will the governor’s crackdown be extended big box stores?Lee called Tennessee “ground zero” for the China virus and blamed “Thanksgiving gatherings” for driving up the rate of infections. He said the Volunteer state is “ground zero” for the virus.
“Tennessee cannot sustain a similar surge,” the governor said.
Churches are exempt from the governor’s order.He also asked Tennesseans to refrain from engaging “in indoor gatherings with anyone outside your household.” In essence, he’s telling us not to celebrate Christmas.
The governor also wants business owners to let employees work from home for the next 30 days.
“Masks should be worn at work – plain and simple,” Lee said. “Masks work and I want everyone to wear one.”
“We are in a cold, cruel phase of this pandemic,” the governor said. “It will get worse before it gets better. I know you are tired. But we have got to double down. I am reminded of Winston Churchill’s words during the darkest days of World War II: “It would be foolish to disguise the gravity of the hour. It would be still more foolish to lose heart and courage.”
