Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order on Monday calling upon non-emergency medical providers to cancel dental procedures and most surgeries and donate their remaining medical supplies to the state.

Lee's Executive Order 18, signed Monday afternoon, comes as many medical professionals on the front lines of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic struggle to obtain necessary personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves.

The order urges non-emergency medical providers who are canceling surgeries as a result of the executive order to take their current inventories of medical gowns, N95 masks, surgical masks, TYVEK suits, boot covers, gloves, eye protection and other supplies to their nearest Tennessee National Guard Armory.

The supplies will then be distributed by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

"This one move will both free up personal protective equipment and medical equipment like ventilators that are going to be incredibly important in the days ahead," Lee said during a conference call briefing with reporters Monday afternoon.

Ventilators in the possession of outpatient surgery facilities can be donated if procedures are on hold, Lee said.

N95 masks, which are more protective than traditional surgical masks and designed to block up to 95% of small particles, have become scarce amid growing demand and rising prices.

Medical providers are urged to drop off supplies daily between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and can find their nearest collection site at www.tn.gov/tema.

While speaking Monday, Lee talked about a long road ahead in Tennessee to deal with the virus, which he said now could not be stopped, but only mitigated.

As of Monday afternoon, there were 615 positive cases of COVID-19 reported in the state, up from 505 on Sunday. Two people in Tennessee have died from the illness.

"We have a long view on this," he said. "This is not going to go away in 15 days. We know that. This is going to be quite an effort for quite some time.

"But if we do this right, then we can get through in a way that minimizes the damage economically and from a health standpoint."

The executive orders prohibits hospitals and outpatient surgery facilities in Tennessee from performing non-essential procedures. It does not apply to necessary heart surgeries, cancer testing and treatment, pregnancy-related visits and procedures, dialysis or emergency or trauma-related procedures.

It's unclear whether the ban on non-essential procedures applies to abortion. The governor's office initially did not respond to a request for clarification but later provided a statement.

"The intent of this Executive Order is to gain greater access to PPE," Lee spokesman Gillum Ferguson said. "Gov. Lee believes elective abortions aren’t essential procedures and given the state of PPE in Tennessee and across the country his hope and expectation would be that those procedures not take place during this crisis.”

The order also prohibits non-emergency dental procedures, including hygiene visits.

Dr. Kevin Smith, president-elect of the Tennessee Medical Association, said the group was concerned about the aftermath of postponing elective procedures, but stressed that delay was needed in these "extraordinary times."

He recommend that doctors use telemedicine visits when possible and that patients talk to their doctors if they have concerns about their appointments or routine care.

"This request came from doctors on the front lines of combating the coronavirus," Smith said in a statement. "In a time of crisis, we have to focus our resources. This will inconvenience some patients, but it is for the public health and well-being of all Tennesseans."

The Tennessee Dental Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Governor defends response as cities issue stay-at-home orders

Lee continued to defend his decision on Monday not to implement statewide "stay-at-home" order, as at least a dozen other governors have done in an effort to use their authority to prevent the spread of coronavirus from person to person.

Mayors in Nashville, Memphis, Tullahoma and Knox County are among the local governments in Tennessee that have issued "Safer at Home" orders in recent days and called for non-essential businesses to close. Lee has instead urged the public to decide for themselves not to go out. He has, however, ordered restaurants only to serve food by takeout and ordered the closing of gyms.

"This is incredibly serious to this state, it's incredibly serious to the lives of Tennesseans," Lee said Monday. "Every single Tennessean should wake up and take personal responsibility for saving the lives of the people around them and for saving the livelihood of their neighbors."

Social distancing:It’s not about you, it’s about us

Lee confirmed that one of his senior staff members has tested positive for coronavirus, but said his exposure to the person "was very limited." The governor has not said whether he has taken a test for COVID-19 but said he is not experiencing any symptoms.

Meanwhile, legislative officials declined to confirm whether any positive coronavirus cases have been reported by people who were in the building, where the state's top leaders have mingled with staff members, lobbyists and members of the public in recent weeks.

Connie Ridley, director of legislative administration, said the legislature is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines related to any possible exposure to the virus, and as such, is currently having the Cordell Hull legislative office building "deep cleaned, disinfected and completely sanitized."

Finance commissioner named head of COVID-19 response

Earlier Monday, Lee announced that Stuart McWhorter, commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration, has been moved from his current post in order to lead the state's newly created COVID-19 Unified Command.

The task force is intended to streamline communication between TEMA, the state Department of Health and the state Department of Military.

Lee said in a statement the ongoing pandemic "challenges every aspect of traditional government response in a crisis" and that the new command group will "effectively change the way we attack COVID-19 in Tennessee," but did not provide specifics.

McWhorter has appointed retired Brig. Gen. Scott Brower to serve as chief of staff for the operation. Brower previously served as acting senior commander for the 101st Airborne Division.

The command group also includes Patrick Sheehan, TEMA director; Dr. Lisa Piercey, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health; and Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes, adjutant general in the Tennessee Department of Military.

FEMA tells states to try to find their own supplies

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has begun to distribute N95 masks from its reserve to states facing the highest number of cases, such as New York and Washington.

FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor has said in recent days that the agency is prepared to deplete its stockpile, and has encouraged governors to attempt to purchase their own medical supplies. FEMA has pledged to reimburse states for those purchases

“What I’ll say is if you can find it on the open market, go buy it,” Gaynor said. “Any governor that needs it, and you find it, go buy it. FEMA will reimburse you under this emergency.”

In an effort to extend the life of medical masks, Lee said that eight higher education institutions in Tennessee, including Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology, are currently using 3-D printers to create face shields for medical workers to use in conjunction with their existing protective masks.

Brett Kelman and Anita Wadhwani of The Tennessean and Lorenzo Reyes of USA TODAY contributed to this story.

Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.

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