Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton told lawmakers Tuesday masks won’t be required during 2021 sessions because their effectiveness is disputable, yet both the House and Senate are taking other steps to stem COVID-19 as the state’s 112th General Assembly convenes.
Among the new measures, an antibacterial mist will be sprayed in the Senate and House chambers in an effort to quell the virus, according to lawmakers briefed by Sexton. It is expected to have a chlorine-type smell.
In addition, acrylic barriers between members’ desks will be extended in the House, and those who enter the chamber will have their temperature checked and scanned into a computer rather than taken with a handheld thermometer as in the past. Also, Days on the Hill are being canceled, legislative receptions are expected to be stopped, and the number of interns will be cut in half, limiting them only to those required by statute, according to legislators who sat in on the call with Sexton. Visits to legislators’ offices in the Cordell Hull Building will have to be scheduled as well.
Sexton’s office did not respond to questions about his statement on masks or increased precautions. The Senate Speaker’s Office also declined to confirm extra steps such as the antibacterial mist.
But Democratic lawmakers confirmed Tuesday that Sexton made the statement in discussing the House’s COVID-19 policies and protocols for the coming session, which starts Jan. 12, followed by a special session on education starting Jan. 19.