NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — There are now 29,158 cases of COVID-19 in Davidson County and an additional person died as of Saturday, according to the Metro Public Health Department.
Bars and restaurants are now allowed to have 100 patrons per floor with an additional 100 patrons at an outside location, including a patio or rooftop, at up to 50% capacity. All bars and restaurants must close at 11 p.m.
The total number of cases grew by 22 in the past 24 hours. There have been a total of 279 deaths in Davidson County.
A reported 28,027 individuals have recovered from the virus. 852 cases are currently active.
Of the 394,142 tests performed in the county, 36,569 (9.28%) had positive results.
The health department reported available hospital beds in Nashville are at 16% and available ICU beds are at 12%.
To be tested at a Davidson County assessment center, call the COVID-19 Hotline at 615-862-7777 to speak with a health care professional.
COVID-19 in Nashville
Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced, beginning October 1, bars and restaurants will be allowed to have 100 patrons per floor with an additional 100 patrons at an outside location, including a patio or rooftop, at up to 50% capacity. All bars and restaurants must close at 11 p.m.
Cooper said Phase Three will also allow events of up to 30% capacity or 500 people with a plan approved by the Metro Public Health Department. That will authorize the Grand Ole Opry to have an in-person audience of 500 for its 95th-anniversary show on Saturday, October 3.
Schools Moving Forward
Following the release of what has been considered “unprecedented” data, Governor Bill Lee said he will address reading and writing deficiencies for Tennessee 3rd graders.
Both he and State Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn say it’s an urgent situation that preliminary data from her department projects an estimated 50% decrease in proficiency rates in 3rd-grade reading and a projected 65% decrease in math proficiency.
“Now we have some data to substantiate what we expected,” said Governor Lee Wednesday. “We will not wait until January to begin…to develop a plan to address it. Absolutely not.”
Lee added he’ll address the dramatically dropping proficiencies for 3rd graders within weeks, but Education Commissioner Schwinn says there is no quick fix and “there must be realistic expectations” for dealing with the issue.
Mask Mandates
Masks will no longer be required in public while in Wilson County beginning late Wednesday night, the county’s mayor announced Monday.
Mayor Randall Hutto said he has reviewed the number of COVID-19 cases and trends and “made the decision to rescind the mask mandate.” It will expire at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, according to Hutto.
The mayor explained this will not impact schools, businesses or long-term care facilities, which develop their own policies and procedures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Last week, the face covering order in Rutherford County expired earlier than originally planned.
A letter from Rutherford County mayor Bill Ketron explained why they were able to lift the order sooner.
“Your compliance with the order which went into effect on July 22, had a significant impact on our numbers going down. This was hard to ignore. We are encouraged by the data trends and want to continue down that path! This does not discount the fact that the virus is here and not going anywhere anytime soon. Therefore, I am asking that as a community, we revert once more to being #RutherfordResponsible.”
Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett announced Monday he will not extend the emergency order requiring employees of businesses open to the public to wear masks. He has, however, determined that anyone from the general public entering a county-owned facility will be required to wear a mask. The City of Clarksville offices and Clarksville-Montgomery County School System facilities will also continue to require visitors to wear masks.
Stay with News 2 for continuing coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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COVID-19 in Tennessee
(This reflects what the TDH is reporting each day at 2 p.m. CST )
