Emergency Extended

Governor Bill Lee has extended Tennessee's "State of Emergency" due to COVID-19 through August 19th. No word yet on what this means for the opening of schools.

Here's more from the Governor's press office:

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee today signed Executive Order No. 50 to extend the State of Emergency related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to August 29, 2020. The order allows the continued suspension of various laws and regulations and other measures in these orders to facilitate the treatment and containment of COVID-19 through regulatory flexibility, promoting social distancing and avoidance of large gatherings, and protecting vulnerable populations. 

Gov. Lee also signed Executive Order Nos. 51 and 52, which extend provisions that allow for electronic government meetings subject to transparency safeguards and remote notarization and witnessing of documents, respectively, to August 29, 2020.

Executive Order No. 50

Executive Order No. 50 extends previous provisions that:

• Urge Tennesseans to continue limiting activity and staying home where possible, as well as following health guidelines and maintaining social distancing;
• Urge persons to wear a cloth face covering in places where in close proximity to others;
• Urge employers to allow or require remote work/telework if possible;
• Provide that persons with COVID-19 or COVID-19 symptoms are required to stay at home, and that employers may not require or allow employees with COVID-19 to work;
• Limit social and recreational gatherings of 50 or more persons, unless adequate social distancing can be maintained (the 6 counties with locally run county health departments may issue different directives on gatherings)
  • This does not apply to places of worship, for which there are guidelines for safe operation of worship services and gatherings, though places of worship are urged to continue virtual or online services where possible;
  • This does not apply to weddings, funerals, and related events, but encourages postponement of large-gathering components of such events;
• Limit contact sports with a requirement or substantial likelihood of routine close contact
  • This does not apply to collegiate or professional sports conducted under the rules or guidelines of their respective governing bodies and does not prohibit training or otherwise practicing the elements of such sports that do not involve close contact with persons;
• Limit nursing home and long-term-care facility visitation, while providing a framework for safe, limited visitation set forth in Executive Order No. 49, and continue the closure of senior centers;
• Provide that employers and businesses are expected to comply with the Governor’s Economic Recovery Group Guidelines (e.g., Tennessee Pledge) for operating safely, as well as general health guidelines from the CDC and other government entities (the 6 counties with locally run county health departments have authority to issue different directives on businesses/venues);
• Provide that bars may only serve customers seated at appropriately spaced tables and must follow the Economic Recovery Group Guidelines (e.g., Tennessee Pledge) for restaurants (the 6 counties with locally run county health departments have authority to issue different directives on businesses/venues);
• Urge persons and businesses to take special care to protect vulnerable populations, including by offering delivery or special shopping hours where possible;
• Allow take-out and delivery alcohol sales by restaurants and limited-service restaurants to continue to encourage customers to utilize take-out or delivery options;
• Allow broad access to telehealth services;
• Increase opportunities for people to easily join the healthcare workforce;
• Provide easier access to unemployment benefits;
• Ensure supply chain protections;
• Extend deadlines and suspend certain in-person continuing education or inspection requirements to avoid unnecessary person-to-person contact; and
• Increase opportunities to work remotely where appropriate.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

An Emergency Next Door

Wilson County is taking COVID-19 seriously amid a recent spike in the number of positive cases there. The Tennessean has more:

"We want people to stay safe as they resume activities," Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto said. "We are requiring people to wear masks when out in public. We ask all businesses to take this very seriously to keep their customers and staff safe by reconsidering the number of people in the area and by requiring masks in stores and businesses."

Wilson County's last state of emergency went through May 18 before it expired, according to the  mayor's office.

The county had 649 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases through Tuesday, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

County Poised to Pass "NO NEW TAXES" Budget

The Sumner County Commission passed a budget recently and that budget does NOT include new taxes. Here's more from Gallatin News:

Sumner County Commissioners are scheduled to vote on a combined county government and school system budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year next week, which does not include a property tax increase for residents.

The approximately $355.5 million combined spending plans were approved by the county’s budget committee on June 15. A vote by the full commission is set for June 29.

Unlike in previous years, Sumner County Budget Committee Chairman Chris Taylor said that county departments and elected officials were told this year that additional funding would be limited due to the negative economic impact the pandemic has had locally.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

As If

It's like some Hendersonville Alderpersons don't even LIVE in Hendersonville. I mean, read this from the Tennessean about the potential for Black Lives Matter protests here:

A disagreement over whose responsibility is it to call for a curfew in Hendersonville recently devolved into an hours-long, back-and-forth email thread, in which an alderman suggested the mayor resign.

 

Since then, city leaders have held multiple meetings to get “on the same page” and prepare for any potential protests that might occur in Hendersonville amid ongoing civil unrest about police brutality and racial injustice, but they've declined to divulge too many details out of concern for public safety.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews 

Lamberth's Lack of Vision

State Rep. William Lamberth of Sumner County clearly lacks vision and imagination. Here's an excerpt from his piece in the Hendersonville Standard in late May, 2020:

Because of the sacrifices we have made and those we continue to make, more and more restrictions are now being eased. This includes those on our larger attractions like amusement parks, theaters, and museums, which are now all ready to safely reopen. At the same time, we must continue doing our part to slow the spread of Covid-19, and to preserve our health system capacity, while also protecting our most vulnerable. Taking the appropriate precautions and following these suggestions and others from the CDC will help restore consumer confidence and ultimately, rebuild our economy. 

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Here's the deal:

The most recent data from the state indicates that hospitalizations from COVID-19 are up 40% in just the past 5 days.

There's new modeling showing TN is poised for a HUGE COVID-19 comeback in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Lamberth and his legislative buddies have slashed funds coming to local school districts for investment in our teachers.

What Lamberth labels leadership most lament as laziness.

For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

COVID Hospitalizations on the Rise in TN

Health reporter Brett Kelman notes that the latest data indicates hospitalizations from COVID-19 have risen 40% in just the past 5 days.

As Tennessee continues to "re-open," the number of cases and the number of those hospitalized continues to increase.




For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Could Masks Prevent a COVID-19 Comeback?

A new study suggests the answer is YES:

Population-wide face mask use could push COVID-19 transmission down to controllable levels for national epidemics, and could prevent further waves of the pandemic disease when combined with lockdowns, according to a British study on Wednesday. 

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

A "Bare Bones" Budget

The Hendersonville Standard has the story of the city's initial budget proposal for FY21:

Hendersonville leaders on Tuesday voted 12 to 1 on first reading for a “bare-bones” 2020-2021 fiscal year budget that does not require a property tax increase, spends more than $4 million than it takes in, and leaves a projected end fund balance of $118,000.

Still, at a time when revenue is uncertain due to the impact of COVID-19, most of the city’s aldermen expressed relief at not having to ask for a tax increase as well as not having to lay off any of the city’s more than 300 employees.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

COVID Set for Comeback

From NewsChannel5:

New projections suggest Tennessee could see a dramatic resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the fall, reaching 100 deaths a day and a total of 3,652 deaths by Oct. 1.

That compares to an average of seven deaths per day right now and a total of 441 deaths so far.

The latest projections, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, reflect numbers that have been closely watched by the White House and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s office.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews