The Republican governor of Tennessee signed an executive order this weekend limiting meetings in some public spaces, but again refused to order a state mask mandate as cases continue to rise across the country.
In an address to Tennesseans on the governor’s website, Bill Lee asked residents of the state to avoid vacation meetings without anyone outside their immediate home and noted that public meetings would be limited to 10 people according to the order. . Places of worship and some other activities will be exempt, he added.
“It only took a few days to see that the meetings around Thanksgiving translated into a record level of illness. Tennessee can’t stand a similar increase after Christmas or New Year. Tonight, I ask you to take some difficult decisions, ”Lee said.
Lee also said that while he believes masks work to slow the spread of the virus, he does not believe in forcing the practice across the state.
“Many think a statewide mandate would improve the wearing of masks, many think it would have the opposite effect. This has been a very politicized issue. Don’t get caught up and misunderstand my belief in local government about “The masks work and I want all Tennessees to wear one,” Lee said.
State health officials have already seen the rate of new COVID-19 infections skyrocket to past levels reached earlier this year in more than 4,100 cases a day, leaving Tennessee hospitals struggling to keep up. Just under 3,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide.
The state health director said this weekend that Tennessee now has the highest infection rate of any state in the country.
“We’re running out of options. There are no more staff members to spend money on because they’re already on the side of the bed,” Lisa Piercey, the state’s health director, said Sunday.