Tennessee House Democrats said Tuesday they now have "zero confidence" in Gov. Bill Lee's ability to lead after the Republican's decision to let his stay-at-home coronavirus order expire April 30.
Borrowing a concept from reality TV, Republican U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Roy Blunt of Missouri are calling for a $1 billion competitive "shark tank" to vastly accelerate production for tens of millions of COVID-19 tests they say are key to reopening the nation as well as schools in August and September.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Monday he will allow his stay-at-home coronavirus pandemic order to expire on April 30, with the "vast majority" of businesses in 89 counties allowed to reopen on May 1.
More than 11,000 Tennesseans rushed to the state's free COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites over the weekend, including about 1,000 residents from Southeast Tennessee and parts of the Cumberland Plateau, Gov. Bill Lee announced Monday.
Tennessee officials have launched a third round of mass coronavirus testing at three state prisons after an additional 150 out of 424 on Saturday tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total of confirmed cases at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville facility to 162.
The Tennessee Department of Correction on Saturday began testing of 406 prisoners at Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville for the coronavirus.
A spokesman for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is characterizing as an "unfortunate distraction" a federal lawsuit filed this week by abortion rights groups challenging the Republican governor's recent executive order that directs postponement of elective and non-urgent surgical and invasive medical procedures through April 30.
Gov. Bill Lee said Thursday that Tennessee will begin receiving some of the estimated $2.3 billion designated for the state this week from the federal government's mammoth $2.2 trillion CARES Act to help states and communities address the COVID-19 crisis and cope with the resulting economic downturn.
Republican U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee as well as Sen. David Perdue, R-Georgia, are among a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers named to President Donald Trump's economic recovery initiative to look at how to reopen a U.S. economy slammed by the coronavirus.
Tennessee universities, colleges, and trade and professional schools are getting $237 million in federal emergency grants to provide support for students impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, which has effectively shut down higher education, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said.
