Faced with a pandemic that’s been infecting over 10,000 Tennesseans a day, Gov. Bill Lee is urging Tennesseans to only celebrate Christmas with members of their immediate household.
“I’m asking you to not engage in indoor gatherings for the holidays that include anyone outside your household,” said Gov. Lee.
The guidance came during a Sunday night press conference where Gov. Lee urged employers to allow employees to work from home for the next 30 days. Lee also said he is signing an order to limit indoor gathering to 10 people.
“We are in a cold, cruel phase of this pandemic,” said Gov. Lee. “It will get worse before it gets better. I know you’re tired, but we’ve got to double down.”
Warren County had 981 active COVID cases on Monday, according to the Tennessee Department of Health, and is the No. 2 hotspot in the state behind Perry County.
Tennessee is also one of the top COVID hotspots in the nation, ranking either No. 1 or No. 2 depending on whether the data is from the CDC or Johns Hopkins University.
According to Johns Hopkins researchers, one in every 104 people in Tennessee tested positive for COVID in the past week. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Tennessee has grown from 55 on Dec. 6 to 87 on Sunday.
 “We are in a global pandemic that has been crippling our country for months and now Tennessee is Ground Zero for a surge in sickness,” said Lee, who believes Thanksgiving gatherings are directly related to the state’s current surge in cases. He said Tennessee has about three times the number of cases as it did at Halloween.
“Tennessee cannot sustain a similar surge after Christmas and New Year’s so tonight I’m asking you to make some hard decisions,” said Lee. “I’m signing an order that will limit indoor public gatherings to 10 people.”
As for work, Lee said, “I’m asking business owners to let employees to work from home for 30 days. If work from home is not available, masks should be worn at work, plain and simple.”
Lee said wearing masks are vital. He said that 80% of Tennesseans report they wear their mask all or most of the time. He said it’s time for the other 20% to step up and do the same.
“Masks work and I want every Tennesseans to wear one,” said Lee. “Tennesseans have two weapons that they must use in the next 30 days. Only gather with your household and wear a mask.”
Warren County residents have been reluctant to wear facemasks which is obvious during any outing around town. Gov. Lee said he is reluctant to issue a statewide mask mandate because certain people won’t listen to what the government has to say.
“We all know that those who don’t wear masks, many of those people actually rebel against the idea of a mandate,” said Lee.