Governor Bill Lee
Governor Bill Lee announced Monday that his order for Tennesseans to remain at home will expire April 30th, with the “vast majority of businesses in 89 counties allowed to re-open on May 1st.”
Lee said he will work with officials in Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, and Sullivan Counties to help them plan their re-openings.
“Our Economic Recovery Group is working with industry leaders around the clock so that some businesses can open as soon as Monday, April 27th,” Lee said in a statement. “These businesses will open according to specific guidance that we will provide in accordance with state and national experts in both medicine and business.
“While I am not extending the safer at home order past the end of April, we are working directly with our major metropolitan areas to ensure they are in a position to reopen as soon and safely as possible.
“Social distancing works, and as we open up our economy it will be more important than ever that we keep social distancing as lives and livelihoods depend on it.”
The Economic Recovery Group (ERG), composed of 30 leaders from the public and private sector is crafting guidance to assist businesses in a safe reopening. The industry representatives participating in the ERG collectively represent over 140,000 Tennessee businesses that employ over 2.5 million Tennesseans.
