Despite coronavirus outbreak, Tennessee governor won't mandate business closures

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a pandemic. Reported illnesses range from very mild to severe, including death. Agencies anticipate widespread transmission will occur in the U.S. in coming months and recommend social distancing among other measures to slow the spread. Call your doctor and stay home if you are sick. Get more information at CDC.gov/coronavirus or contact the Tennessee Department of Health coronavirus information line at 877-857-2945 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT daily.

Correction: A previous version of this story has been updated to correctly reflect to Sen. Jeff Yarbro's stance on a possible shelter-in-place requirement.

UPDATE: On Sunday morning, Gov. Bill Lee issued an executive order closing fitness centers and limiting all bars and restaurants to takeout and delivery services.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Friday he believed businesses and churches that continue to draw crowds may worsen the spread of coronavirus, but unlike some other governors he won't order the closure of these gathering places – at least for now.

Lee said his goal was a “tremendous balance” between protecting the public and allowing businesses to stay open to "preserve the economy to the degree that we can." Lee has also recommended, but not required, the closure of schools.

“Mandating the closure of a business means mandating the elimination of a paycheck for hard-working Tennesseans who have families and obligations to meet,” the governor said. “It’s a very serious thing to mandate the closure of a business.”

Although Lee said his administration’s approach to the virus would largely avoid government mandates, both the governor and state lawmakers stressed the fluidity of decisions in the face of the fast-spreading virus.

Lee said decisions change “daily” and “nothing is off the table."

Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a pandemic that began in China but has now spread throughout the United States, transforming the American way of life in a matter of weeks. Public officials across the nation are taking unprecedented steps to prevent the spread of the virus, including asking and ordering residents to stay in their homes as much as possible.

Newsletter: Stay safe and informed about the spread of the coronavirus.

In Tennessee, the state health department has reported 228 known cases of the virus as of Friday afternoon, and those numbers are all but guaranteed to rise. Nashville health officials said Friday the city had 110 cases and gained 50 cases in the prior 24 hours.

Medical professionals insist the best way to slow the spread of the virus is for Americans to stay in their homes and minimize close contact as much as possible. Anywhere that draws a crowd, including businesses, churches and airplanes, should be avoided.

Lee echoed this message on Friday, insisting that it was up to individual Tennesseans to do their part contain the virus. When asked specifically about churches that continue to gather in spite of the virus, Lee – a Christian who often speaks about the power of prayer – encouraged churches to worship without gathering face-to-face.

“Churches that continue to meet and gather with elderly and putting groups of people in the same setting, they’re – quite frankly – they’re risking people’s lives,” Lee said. “There are ways to worship and there are ways to serve without congregating people.”

Other governors mandating closures

Lee’s stance on closures spotlighted the divide between how his administration and other governors and city leaders have responded to the virus.

Moments before Lee's comments on Friday morning, Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced plans to restrict all Davidson County restaurants from providing dine-in services. Although customers would be barred from eating in restaurants, Cooper encouraged takeout as a “much needed public service.”

Governors in Ohio, Alabama, Nevada and other states have ordered closures of non-essential businesses, and the strictest precautions have come from California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued a statewide "shelter-in-place" order.

Lee isn't the only Tennessee leader to be wary of these most drastic steps. Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, said he believed mandatory closures of non-essential businesses was overdue, but was hesitant to call for a order to shelter in place.

Yarbro said such an order "may be the right decision for Tennessee," but he was not yet convinced.

“I think we need to be willing to put our previous positions aside – liberal, conservative, Democratic, Republican – the way that we walked into this crisis, we need to put that aside right now and figure out what is essential to do to keep people safe.”

Brett Kelman is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 615-259-8287 or at brett.kelman@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @brettkelman.