Metro Nashville is still unsure when businesses will reopen following an increase of COVID-19 cases over the weekend. There has been an additional 312 cases since Metro gave its update on Friday, but officials say they’re still eyeing early May to begin reopening the economy.
While the state is planning to reopen in 89 counties on Friday, May 1, with some businesses opening today, Nashville leaders have refrained from announcing a reopen date. Instead, they’ve based their plan on a 14-day decrease in cases, PPE supplies, low transmission rates and an increased capacity to conduct contact tracing.
“The 14-day trend has gone from remaining flat to slightly increasing,” said Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Alex Jahangir, during a morning press briefing.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper told reporters that while the increase in cases are concerning, fatalities and hospitalization rates remain stable.
“We’re carefully monitoring all public health bench marks required to begin phase one for the road map for opening Nashville,” said Cooper. “We’ll report on these criteria daily. I urge everyone to continue following the safer-at-home order as we work together to safely restart our economy.”
As most of the state reopens with restaurants and retail stores operating at 50% capacity, Tennesseans are still encouraged to practice social distancing as a precaution.
When asked by WPLN News if residents should refrain from visiting outside counties as stay-at-home orders are lifted in other areas, Cooper said, “no one should think … that they can drive across the county line and do dangerous things for other people.”
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