JASPER, Tennessee (WDEF) – The Mayor of Marion County has announced a two week curfew that will begin on Wednesday evening.

It lasts from 8 PM til 5 AM and runs for the next 15 days.

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All businesses will be required to close by 8 PM, but officials encourage them to close earlier to allow their employees to get home.

Mayor David Jackson says this is not so much a county lockdown as it is a way to some local gatherings that have become an issue.

He says all of the mayors in the county are supporting the curfew.

“We’ve been very reluctant to do this… we understand, we live in the United States and we have our freedoms, but folks, we’ve got to do something to help curb this spread of this Covid-19.”

The Mayor reported two new positive tests today, bringing the number for the county up to 23.

Mayor Jackson says they have had a hotspot in the Whitwell area, possibly stemming from the post office.

The Postal Service did close the Whitwell postal facility on Monday for doing business with the public, though you can still go in to get your mail.

This is the first curfew announced in the Tennessee Valley.