Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said Thursday afternoon the county will comply with Gov. Bill Lee's new "Stay at Home" executive order, but warned it will stress the limits of democracy.

“I applaud the governor for following through with his convictions and fulfilling his duty to protect the people of Tennessee according to his best judgement," Jacobs said in a Facebook Live video. "However, I cannot applaud any government monitoring the movements of its people and mandating virtually everything we are allowed to do.

"I understand this is a crisis, but an economic crisis also looms with millions of people out of work and no way to earn a living, many of them due to mandated government shutdowns," he continued. "We also have a looming mental health crisis as individuals struggle with depression and feelings of hopelessness and isolation, exacerbated by job loss — some have already taken their own lives."

Jacobs compared today's coronavirus crisis with the Civil War, quoting President Abraham Lincoln's most famous line from the Gettysburg Address: "Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from this earth."

"Knox County will, of course, comply with this executive order," he said. "However, with our response to COVID-19, I fear that we may be testing the very limits of President Lincoln’s notion."

Jacobs is an ardent libertarian who has not been nearly as aggressive as leaders across the state in trying to tamp down the pandemic, instead focusing on what he says is a balance between public safety and personal liberty.

Two weeks ago, after Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon announced a state of emergency for the city, Jacobs released a video on his Twitter account saying the county would not follow with its own unless it became absolutely necessary.

The declaration would allow the county to move finances and other resources around more easily — something that isn’t necessary yet, he said. He stressed that the Knox County Health Department has the resources it needs.

Monday, a day after President Donald Trump announced federal guidelines for social distancing would extend until April 30, Jacobs said he "hopes" county businesses can open before then.

“I understand what the president is saying because he is looking at the big picture. We are responsible for the local level,” Jacobs said. “We need a measured response because everything varies greatly and we’re all on a sliding scale. For example, what’s good right now for Nashville might not be right for us. And what’s good for us might not be right for Nashville."

Knox County remains the only of the state's largest four counties to not declare a state of emergency.

Lee responds Friday

When asked about Jacobs' comments Friday, Lee said no one knows the right approach when dealing with the virus, but said every leaders has the same goal in mind: to provide the highest level of safety and security for Tennesseans.

“I had a great meeting with Mayor Jacobs today. He and I talk regularly. What’s most important is we all work together on this," he said.

"I think we’re in a very unusual day and there are very difficult decisions to be made and I tell folks every day that I am a person who wants very much to determine what is the very best decision for the state and discerning the direction we take as a state is the primary job I have."

For his part, Jacobs released a statement Friday afternoon after Lee's visit and applauded the governor for working hard through the crisis.

“Gov. Lee has the best interests of the people of Tennessee on his mind and in his heart, and both of us want the best for our communities and for our state," he said.

"We talked about the preparations being made here in East Tennessee and I appreciate the leadership the Governor is providing," he continued.

Email Tyler Whetstone at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @tyler_whetstone. If you enjoy Tyler's coverage, support strong local journalism by subscribing for full access to all our content on every platform.