More Of Nashville Can Reopen Monday As City Shifts To Phase 2

Nashville Mayor John Cooper says the city will move to Phase 2 of reopening on Monday, allowing higher capacities and a wider array of businesses to resume work.

The decision means:

• restaurants and retail can open up to 75% capacity;
• close-contact businesses like salons and tattoo parlors can reopen at half capacity, and;
• gyms, museums and day camps can reopen with multiple guidelines.

The next phase adds far more specificity and differentiation between businesses and activities. The city’s detailed Roadmap for Reopening can be found at ASafeNashville.org, where recently altered guidelines are highlighted in green text.

“We’ve made it this far because of the resiliency of our community,” Cooper said. “That same grit and determination will safely carry us to the other side of this historic challenge.”

Other changes in Phase 2 include allowing restaurants to allow up to two live performers, but attendees will be capped at 25. Increased sanitizing and face masks are still required of all businesses.

Yet many closures continue, including socially driven businesses like bars, clubs and entertainment venues. Closures also persist for playgrounds, recreation leagues, arcades, museum tours, dance floors within restaurants, and overnight youth camps.

Residents are advised to continue staying and working from home when possible.

“To safely live and work in the era of the coronavirus requires us to adopt smart, health habits as part of our daily routines,” Cooper said.

The mayor mentioned some of the revisions to Phase Two respond to suggestions from residents and business owners.

Alex Jahangir, chairman of the Metro Nashville Coronavirus Task Force, says the changes vary between more strict and less strict.

For example, the city’s initial proposal would have allowed gatherings up to 50 people in Phase Two, but that’s been revised down to 25.

Metro’s allowances for gyms, museums, day camps and tattoo and tanning operations are coming sooner than expected

“As we move along, if new best practices present, or there’s ways we can make this better, we’re not dogmatic about any this,” Jahangir said Thursday. “I hope we’ve demonstrated that from the beginning.”