New Executive Order Issued By Governor Lee

Knoxville Urban Guy·
Life
·27 Comments
Market Square on Saturday Afternoon During the Corona Virus Shutdown, Knoxville, March 2020
Market Square on Saturday Afternoon During the Corona Virus Shutdown, Knoxville, March 2020

A new executive order has been issued by Governor Lee. You can read the full order here.

It is set to start at “midnight on the 23rd,” which is midnight tonight, but that may not be clear to some. I’m not exactly sure when the Governor intended this to start. It mandates businesses to offer pick up and delivery “exclusively”. This portion of the order applies to bars, restaurants, and “similar establishments.” It doesn’t mention grocery stores, which I assume means they may continue with in-store purchases.

The order also closes gyms and work-out facilities. It prohibits visitation to nursing homes and similar facilities for reasons other than “essential care.”

The order comes on the heels of a letter from state physicians pleading with the governor to order state-wide “shelter in place” for two weeks. This order does not do that and, in fact “prohibits social gatherings of 10 or more people,” which is older guidance and does not meet the current challenge. Experts are currently saying there should be no social gatherings.

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27 Responses

  1. Lives will be lost by lack of leadership. I don’t understand why the military is not taking over disaster services like distributing tests and ventilators and other emergency supplies. They know how to do it.

    Reply

    1. Trump has stated that he doesn’t think the military should be involved, deferring instead to private corporations who he believes will somehow assist. The armed forces shouldn’t just exist to stop a visible enemy, in my opinion.

      Reply

  2. Why will Governor Lee not heed the advice of over 1500 Tennessee physicians who have begged him to order a two week shelter in place? By not doing that, Gov Lee potentially risks many lives and more patients with serious illness. Such an order would buy the hospitals more time for accommodating and treating more patients in future weeks or months. If the hospitals are overrun with COVID-19 patients, they will potentially not be able to take care of them or other patients who will need other types of care. I’m so weary of the uninformed Trump-like leaders who refuse to grasp the gravity of the situation. They may be causing more suffering than we can yet imagine. Call Governor Lee at 615 741 2001 or Billl@fnal.gov or send a message to him by Facebook to demand that he order the two week shelter in place.

    Reply

      1. It’s about flattening the curve of people getting the flu at the same time in order to avoid overrunning the hospitals! Too many patients at one time will cost more human suffering and lives. How do you NOT know that by now?

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        1. Draconian measures should be made based off of data, not fear. We can only shut businesses down for so long, without the consequences being as dramatic as a likely 0.3 – .5 percent mortality virus—economically and also loss off life.

          We’ve had 5 cases in Knox County according to NYT to date. There isn’t a curve to flatten right now.

          People are operating out fear. NYC has 25,000 cases. It makes sense there. It does not make sense here yet.

          Many South East Asian countries (Taiwan, Singapore, etc) stopped this virus without shutting down commerce. They did it through testing and isolating those who tested positive.

          We should be focusing on testing and tracing before we rush to ruin our businesses without cause.

          Reply

          1. You’re right. Singapore was able to continue without shutting down schools. Destroying everyone’s livelihood based on fear is incredibly shortsighted.

          2. 100% agree.

            China, in 8 weeks turned the tide and after that 8 weeks were showing no new cases throughout all of their provinces. The US will be through this in about 5 weeks. These measures being taken are hurting our businesses, and in doing so is going to cause more damage than this virus can ever do, just wait.

            My Mom “RiP” taught me early to wash my hands and keep my fingers out of my nose. Being mindful to do so is what we need, and if your stupid enough not to wash your hands or be mindful of your surroundings, basically being careless than you deserve every consequence that would follow.

          3. The ball was dropped on testing in the beginning and continues to lag so far behind there is no way to do this in a more incremental fashion. Now that his has become a public health concern and there is no coordinate effort from the federal government it has left governors no choice but to protect their people with what tools they have at their disposal. With limited medical supplies and what we have seen in foreign countries when their hospitals are over run its hard not to take this seriously.

            The Federal Reserve in St. Louis put out a projection today that predicts -50% GDP growth in the second quarter and up to 30% unemployment by June. Just because you live in a low infection rate area does not mean just leaving businesses open is going to save you. In fact it will put you into a position where you make no money and probably won’t qualify for all the coming government bailouts. I honestly am glad Lee is doing this in response to case rising so that way we can stay open as long as we can but there is no way out of taking a bite of this poop sandwich so just get ready.

          4. It’s remarkable what has happened in Washington State, without the stay at home orders that everyone seems to want.

            Not long ago, their cases and deaths were spiraling out of control. Now there’s been 1 death in the last 6-7 days and few positive tests. They’ve tested 30,000 people and only 6 percent have been positive. They continue to test 5,000 a day.

            The calls for Knoxville to shelter in place are born of fear and not facts. They are premature and frankly a shut down now would be more dangerous than real threat of the virus at this time.

            There may be a time we need to issue such an order. But that time is not now.

          5. The number of infected in Washington State is still growing. The number of deaths in the past 6-7 days is not one. There were eleven deaths reported on 21 March. One death reported on 22 March.

            Individual cities have issued stay-at-home orders.

            When the number seriously spikes. We’ll all be staying at home for a few weeks.

        2. China and Singapore have very different cultures and very different laws.

          The US population has proven it’s culturally unable to socially distance themselves from others, even if it would save lives.
          Ref. Spring break beaches, full gyms and fitness clubs, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, etc.

          Keeping the schools open would be insane.

          We’re all about to get a full immersion in the bad side of reality.

          Reply

          1. Even in the worst case scenarios we’re talking about a virus that wont kill more than 2% of those who get it. The hysteria and economic sabotage going on is disgusting. Be safe, don’t go into heavily congested areas, and wash your hands. Stay home as much as you can, but don’t live in fear of a virus that’s not nearly as deadly as SARS (which we didn’t freak out over).

          2. Governor Cuomo spent a lot of time talking about how the data is showing it may be wise to send young people to school and young workers to work.

            All these proclamations about what will or what won’t happen is just fear mongering and insane.

            Let the data tell us what to do. Cuomo’s briefings each day are really worth watching. Don’t react out of fear, and do tremendous harm for no benefit.

  3. The coronavirus pandemic is leading to information overload for many people, often making it difficult to separate fact from fiction and rumor from deliberate efforts to mislead.

    Already, text messages predicting a nationwide lockdownhave circulated, along with social media posts telling people that one way to get tested for the virus is by donating blood or warning that mosquitoes can carry it. All are untrue. Such falsehoods can endanger public health, sow confusion and fear, and prevent important information from reaching people during a crisis. The Associated Press has debunked many such claims, including one about bananas supposedly preventing people from catching the virus and another on “Harry Potter” actor Daniel Radcliffe testing positive.

    COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, has stricken thousands across the globe but usually presents only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For older adults and people with other health problems, it can cause complications or sometimes death. Most people recover.

    Here are some things you can do to separate fact from misinformation:

    LOOK FOR THE SOURCE

    We are more likely to believe things our friends tell us — that’s human nature. It’s why rumors spread and why misinformation travels on social media. It’s also why the chain text message warning of a nationwide lockdown worked so well: Everyone heard it from a friend of a friend who “knows someone.” Be wary of important-sounding information that is not coming from a clear, authoritative source, such as local government agencies and health departments, or national and international public health institutes such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. Posts may also claim that a politician said or did something. You can check that information through legitimate news outlets or the candidates’ own verified social media accounts.

    CDC AND THE WHO

    The top public health institutes in the United States and other countries, along with the WHO, are some of the most trusted sources of information about the outbreak. They provide the latest statistics, advisories and guides on everything from sanitizing your home to managing stress.

    Dr. Jessica Justman, an infectious disease expert at Columbia University, said the sheer amount of information online about the coronavirus pandemic can quickly become overwhelming. That’s one reason she encourages people to check the websites of the CDC and the WHO.

    “It’s not just misinformation, it’s also a lack of good information,” Justman said. “There’s so much information out there that many people are just saying ‘I can’t read it, it makes me too anxious.’”

    “Go straight to the source,” she said. “The CDC has been putting out great information.”

    At the same time, be mindful of scammers taking advantage of the CDC’s and other organizations’ trusted names.

    ACT LIKE A JOURNALIST

    “Everyone right now is trying to figure out: What is going on? What do I need to know? Who can I trust?” said John Silva, director of education at the News Literacy Project, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit that works with educators to teach students how to navigate the news.

    Silva said anyone searching for accurate information about the virus needs to act a little like a journalist by verifying suspicious claims.

    Be wary of information from groups or news organizations you don’t know — in some cases the groups behind misinformation create websites and social media accounts that look like a legitimate news organization. Remember that there’s a difference between news stories and opinion pieces. News stories should include the source of the information. If there’s no source or attribution, be suspicious.

    In addition to seeking authoritative sources, journalists also seek to confirm information from multiple sources. Even if a news outlet is at first alone in reporting a big development, others will soon follow. If this doesn’t happen, it could be a red flag.

    PAUSE, TAKE A BREATH

    A 2018 study by MIT researchers found that false news travels faster than real news — often much faster. That’s because it’s often designed to grab people’s attention by connecting with their emotions, such as fear or outrage. The researchers, who studied how false news travels on Twitter, also found that misinformation spreads quickly because people retweet it, not due to bot activity. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and retweet a terrifying headline before reading the accompanying article. But pausing before reposting can save you from embarrassment and prevent falsehoods from spreading farther.

    DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SEE

    Bad actors and trolls looking to exploit people’s fears around coronavirus are using a variety of techniques to sow confusion. False news articles are just a small part of this.

    Photos and videos can be edited and altered, and real images can be presented out of context. Again, it helps to look for the source. Google’s reverse image search can help find the origins of a photo. For videos, take a look at who uploaded it — was it a random user? A news outlet? The CDC?

    Americans have a duty not to add to an already anxious time by spreading misinformation that could alarm others — or put them at risk, said Dr. Ruth Parker, a physician at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and an expert on health literacy.

    “It’s a scary time,” Parker said. “We don’t want to add fuel to the fire. Good information won’t cure us, but it will help to calm us.”

    Reply

  7. Shelly Cason Harper Mayor John Cooper Gov. Bill Lee Donald J. Trump Greenway KIA, Carmax, and other dealerships are remaining open. This is not essential!!!! SICK people are coming into work while we all breathe all over one another or the customers that do show, are in mask spraying down our waiting room etc.
    how do we exercise a SHELTER IN PLACE if these places remain open? How do we stay safe and keep our job? PLEASE HELP US GET TO REMAIN HOME DURING THIS TIME.

    My parents who I live with, that are 68 & 77 years old, one who is a heart patient — I don’t want to get infected and bring it home.

    Reply

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