Tennessee Water Parks And Theaters Will Reopen On May 22

Gov. Bill Lee’s Economic Recovery Group has given the green light to water parks, museums and movie theaters to reopen next Friday.

But the group is continuing to restrict social gatherings of more than 10 people.

“Tennesseans have worked incredibly hard to do their part and help slow the spread of COVID-19 so that our state can begin to reopen,” Lee said in a statement released Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the state will lift capacity restrictions for restaurants and retail stores next Friday, as well. The Economic Recovery Group will issue additional guidelines on reopening next week.

As of Friday, Tennessee has seen a total of 16,970 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 290 deaths.

But Lee says the state has seen a downward trend, meeting the White House’s criteria to move to the next phase of reopening.

“This progress has been hard-won, and we can build upon it by reopening while also maintaining common-sense safety measures like mask-wearing and good hygiene,” Lee said.