Officials in Williamson County have decided not to extend the county’s mask mandate, citing a decrease in the number of new COVID-19 cases. The mandate took effect in July and expired Saturday night.
The decision came a day after Gov. Bill Lee extended Tennessee’s state of emergency through the end of September. That included giving local authorities the power to continue requiring masks in public.
But Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson is leaving it up to business owners to decide whether to require masks. Anderson says he’s encouraging it, and face coverings will still be required in all county-owned buildings and local courts. That includes schools unless it’s lifted by the school boards.
Several counties — including Sumner, Robertson and Rutherford — quickly moved to extend their mask mandates through September. Rutherford Mayor Bill Ketron, for example, credits precautions like masks for helping drive down the county’s active cases.
Montgomery County’s mandate is also extended, but only to Sept. 7 for now. That county’s executive orders have been renewed multiple times on a weekly basis.
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