News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Getting some of the 320,000 people employed in the restaurant and retail sector back to work….safely.
That’s the goal of Governor Bill Lee in announcing specific guidelines for both sectors Friday to reopen next week. Restaurants can open Monday while retailers can reopen Wednesday.
“Social distancing works and it absolutely must continue if we’re going to reopen our economy safely,” Lee said Friday morning. “Tennesseans, you have done well we have asked you to do. And we need you to keep it up a little while longer. And if we can do that, we can rebuild livelihoods while we continue to save lives until we have a vaccine. It is imperative that we all work together each other, even in small actions like wearing a cloth mask or operating at half capacity.”
Lee called the program “The Tennessee Pledge” in an effort to encourage businesses, customers, and employees to work together to maintain public safety. Businesses, Lee said, must provide safe working conditions for employees while continuing to protect consumers.
“Only by working together as a community of volunteers can we successfully reboot our economy, a vital component of our lives, our security, our liberty and success, can we fight this public health crisis,” Lee said.
The guidance covers the 89 non-metro counties governed by the state health department.
The COVID-19 has dealt a staggering blow to the state’s economy with as much as a $5 billion loss in gross domestic product this year. Lee said the state’s unemployment rate has hit 15 percent with more than 400,000 people out of work.
Lee said five factors allowed the state to consider a gradual reopening: a downward trajectory for both COVID-19 and flulike symptoms, a reduction in COVID-19 cases, stable hospital space, an an increased ability to test frontline medical workers. State Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said the state will evaluate data even more carefully as the economy reopens. But she cautioned it is multi-level data.
In order to reopen, Lee said restaurants must remain at under 50 percent capacity. Seating must be at least six feet apart with no more than six people at a table. Bars should remain closed with no live music. The state encouraged disposable menus and condiments.
Restaurants must at least ask customers about their health and are encouraged to take temperatures before allowing someone in a restaurant.
Retail stores face similar guidelines asking all employees to wear gloves and face coverage. State officials asked businesses to consider special hours for seniors, the medically-vulnerable and medical workers. The state wants retailers to encourage delivery and curbside service. Retailers should try for separate entrances and exits to encourage social distancing. Carts, counters and check-outs should be sanitized regularly.
Economic Recovery Group Chairman Mark Ezell said the group received feedback from more than 1,500 individual Tennesseans across 73 counties.
“The economic shutdown has devastated individual workers and businesses large and small,” Ezell said. “And thanks to the work of Governor Lee, the Health Department, unified command group, health care workers and all Tennesseans, we are grateful to be at a place where we can focus on getting Tennesseans back to work in eighty nine counties, with most businesses allowed to open next week.”
Just as he when began shutting down the state in March, Lee said his focus is not on enforcement. He said consumers, businesses, and industry groups should be enforce the Tennessee Pledge program on its own without government mandates and rules. He said the public posting of the Tennessee Pledge should show all that a business will follow the guidance.
The reopening will be a gradual process. Gyms, churches, physicians and dentists will receive guidance next week on reopening. Lee said “close-contact” businesses such as hair salon, barber shops, and tatoo parlors will take more time because of the difficulty of social distancing. Lee said it likely will be “later in May.”
“We want to make sure that we have appropriate guidance in place and that we have an adequate supply of masks and gloves and other PPE before those businesses can open,” Lee said.
Ezell said employers should continue to allow employees to work at home when possible, further allowing more businesses to reopen.
Asked what he would look for to say people are not social distancing, Lee said it will be data-driven.
“We will make decisions about particular issues as we see something happen,” Lee said. “It’s very difficult to predict what those will be, where they will be, what that will look like. But we’re very committed to the health of Tennesseans and to the public safety. That’s the utmost commitment. That’s the utmost priority when we start looking at data going forward as we begin to open our economy. That’s what we’re going to be looking at. Where do we have any risk that is that is getting to a place that needs to have some sort of different action than the action we’re taking.”
