The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will stand by its move to not require face masks on campus, despite the state granting the university system the ability to do so.
The university system was granted an exemption from provisions in a new state law barring government entities from issuing mask and vaccine mandates to protect against the spread of COVID-19, which has killed 16,740 Tennesseans.
On Friday, Gov. Bill Lee signed the sweeping bill, which was put forward by Tennessee Republican lawmakers to rein in COVID-19 mandates.
The bill is a response to – and a contradiction of – executive orders signed by President Joe Biden in September requiring contractors that receive federal funds to comply with mask requirements and a Jan. 4 deadline for COVID-19 vaccination.
The Tennessee comptroller’s office on Monday launched a new website to allow Tennessee businesses, government entities or schools that receive federal funding to seek an exemption from the state law.