Nashville Health Officials Dole Out Fines, Arrest In COVID-19 Enforcement

As Nashville starts to reopen, the Metro Public Health Department says it’s taking enforcement seriously.

This past weekend, the city made its first arrest for a violation of COVID-19 public health orders. A homeless man tried to escape a mandatory quarantine at the Nashville Fairgrounds emergency shelter, where more than 100 people have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Health Department Chief Michael Caldwell says he isn’t trying to be “punitive,” but he wants to send a message that health directives are a requirement, not a request.

“The case will not be dismissed. This should result in some kind of fine or plea of guilt,” Caldwell says. “We do not intend to keep this individual incarcerated or quarantined beyond any reasonable time. But there was a violation, and that needs to be addressed.”

At least one local business has also been reprimanded for violating public health directives.

Slider House on Division Street received a $350 fine last week after officials found seven people eating and drinking inside the restaurant while the city’s Safer At Home order was still in place. Slider House’s management told WKRN that the customers were only waiting on takeout orders and reading the menu.

Health inspectors and city police have visited more than 450 businesses since the city’s COVID-19 restrictions first took effect and have received multiple complaints. Slider House was the first to be cited.

Mayor John Cooper says people should support businesses that take necessary precautions, and adjusting to a new normal during the phased reopening will require education and coaching.

But Cooper says the health department won’t hesitate to pull permits “should a venue consistently not try to keep its customers or staff safe.”

“People have worked very, very hard in this town to limit the spread of the virus. And we have to honor that work,” he says. “It’s inappropriate for one party to endanger the rest of us.”

But Cooper says many businesses are already following orders, without complaint.

“You have to be safe and have a reputation for safety,” he says. “That’s what’s going to get us all back to work sooner.”