Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order late Friday afternoon allowing Tennessee’s 89 smallest counties to decide for themselves whether to issue mask mandates in response to a significant rise in COVID-19 cases, and the Hamilton County Health Department reported three additional deaths from COVID-19.
Hamilton County is one of six of Tennessee’s largest counties, which have their own locally run health departments and therefore already have the authority to decide on mask mandates amid the global pandemic. Mayor Jim Coppinger has not yet done so.
“While our densely populated urban areas continue to have the highest COVID-19 case rates, our local governments expressed a need for greater flexibility in addressing a rise in cases and that includes setting stronger expectations around masks,” Lee said in a statement. “This targeted approach ensures we protect both lives and livelihoods and safely keep our economy open in Tennessee. We encourage every Tennessean across the state to use a face covering or mask, make sure to socially distance and wash hands frequently.”
The governor’s order came a few hours after the Hamilton County Health Department reported the three new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the county’s total to 33.
The deaths included a Black woman over the age of 81, a man between 71 and 80 whose race/ethnicity was not yet confirmed and a Black man between the ages of 51 and 60. All three had underlying health conditions, according to the Health Department.