NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Nashville will again tighten pandemic restrictions on Metro restaurants and bars.

It was just three weeks ago that Mayor John Cooper lifted the city’s 50 percent cap on customers.

On Monday, Nashville will once again impose the half-capacity limit on restaurants and bars.

The move comes with three of the key metrics Metro uses to guage it’s battle with coronavirus in the red. Three more metrics are now yellow.

NASHVILLE. Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Tuesday was the last day Nashville’s elementary and students with special needs attended in-person classes through the end of the year.

Direct of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle announced the change Monday.

She noted that the city’s COVID-19 infection rates are “at their highest points in months, and the situation may only be getting worse.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Vanderbilt researchers believe they now know why COVID-19 rarely proves fatal among children.

The finding was published this month in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

In most patients, COVID-19 turns deadly when the virus invades the lungs. The damage done makes it difficult to breathe. Severe cases end up on a respirator. Many don’t survive.

The Vanderbilt researchers discovered that a specific enzyme allows the virus to target the lungs.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that Tennessee can begin outlawing abortions because of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

The ruling Friday also said Tennessee can prohibit an abortion if it’s based on the race or gender of the fetus.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee enacted the so-called “reason bans” earlier this year as part of a sweeping anti-abortion measure. The law was automatically blocked from being implemented by a lower court.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee would no longer prohibit parents from refusing vaccinations of their children under a newly filed proposal as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

Tennessee law currently allows parents to cite several exemptions to not immunize their children as long as the state isn't in an epidemic. Two Republican lawmakers want those exceptions removed, allowing parents to opt out of school-required vaccinations during the coronavirus pandemic.

The bill also would allow parents to cite “right of conscience” as a reason not to immunize their children.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  With eleven days remaining in November, Tennessee has marked a new, monthly, all-time high for COVID-19 infections.

State health officials have now reported well over 67,000 new infections in November. That exceeds the previous high of some 64,000 new cases reported in all of October. It also exceeds the high reached during the summer surge in July.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville is tightening restrictions to fight the surging coronavirus by limiting gatherings to eight people.

Mayor John Cooper announced the new limit Thursday. It is a reduction from the current gathering limit of 25 people.

The mayor's office said the change takes effect Monday. It applies to public and private gatherings, whether at a restaurant or in a backyard.

Cooper urged people to follow the eight-person limit or to gather with only one other family group.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne) —Tennessee set another new all-time high for COVID-19 hospitalizations on Thursday.

Tennessee has recorded new highs for hospitalizations 24 out of the last 30 days.

There were 2003 state residents being treated for the virus in hospitals statewide Thursday morning. That represents a 63 percent increase over the past month.

A total of 539 Tennesseans are being treated in Intensive Care Units. ICU bed capacity statewide has fallen to 11 percent.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne) — Free flu shots will be available Thursday at all 95 of Tennessee’s state health clinics.

This is the third year that Tennessee has offered it’s “Fight Flu TN” event.

Health officials note less than half of the state’s residents typically get a flu shot.

Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said in a press statement that it’s especially important for Tennessean’s to immunize against Influenza this year.